Food Safety Dept to inspect manufacturing units

In a circular issued to district executive officials, the Food Safety Department has directed them to inspect all sweet shops as part of the drive against adulteration. The department has issued an advisory to sweet manufacturing units on the standards of food to be maintained during the festival season.

The advisory emphasises on the use of edible colours in sweets and restricts any use of chemicals and non-edible powders in ghee, oil, milk and other food items. The department is mainly focusing the drive at temporary sweet manufacturing establishments, as there is widespread allegation of adulteration against them, said officials.

Assistant Food Commissioner Vanaja Raj said that the Department was conscious of the temporary sweet shops that come up during festival seasons. “The district executive officials are already on regular rounds to check adulteration in food items, especially milk sweets. We will issue warnings and cancel the licence of manufacturing units if they do not maintain hygiene standards as recommended,” she added.

The sweet manufacturing units that usually undertake bulk orders allegedly fail to maintain proper hygiene, and their working environment is often found to be unclean. Packaging of the cooked and uncooked food items, storage and the cooking environment would also be under the scanner, added the official.