Key Update

The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) carried out late-night raids across Lucknow and seized nearly ₹20 lakh worth of rotten and adulterated sweets ahead of the festive season. On Wednesday, ten FSDA teams launched simultaneous inspections at multiple sweet shops.

Inspectors Spot Dirty Kitchens and Licence Issues

Officials found serious hygiene lapses in several kitchens. They saw spilt oil, accumulated dirt, and fungal growth on the walls. They shut down one shop immediately for operating without a valid food licence and initiated legal action. Another shop faces temporary suspension for similar violations. In Gomti Nagar, officials recorded the worst conditions. They walked into a kitchen filled with a foul smell, saw sweets left uncovered, and stepped on floors coated with sticky syrup. The team sealed the shop on the spot.

Teams Recover Large Quantities of Rotten Sweets

During the raids, FSDA teams:

• Seized 255 kg of spoiled sweets from one location
• Confiscated 30 kg of expired sweets from a shop in Indira Nagar
• Recovered three quintals of cashew sweets worth ₹3.60 lakh in Aliganj

The largest haul came from a factory in Nadaraganj, where officials recovered 36.64 quintals of adulterated and misbranded sweets along with suspicious ingredients worth ₹14.40 lakh.

FSDA Issues Notices, Warns of Strict Action

FSDA Commissioner Roshan Jacob issued notices to all the shops involved. She warned that the department will suspend or cancel licences if the shops fail to improve their standards. She reaffirmed that the FSDA will not allow any compromise on consumer health. FSDA teams sent 21 samples for testing and declared 595 kg of sweets unsafe. They urged Lucknow residents to choose hygiene over brand names while buying sweets this festive season.

Source: India Today