By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 1 Mar: In view of the festival of Holi, the Food Safety and Drug Administration has launched a campaign against adulteration in the Mussoorie area. Following the instructions of Sachin Kurve, Commissioner, Food Safety and Drug Administration, Dehradun, the Food Safety Department team conducted intensive inspections of the city’s major dairy, sweet shops, and grocery stores on Sunday. Consumption of mawa, cheese, oil, spices, and other food items increases during Holi. Therefore, providing safe and quality food to the public is the department’s priority.
During the inspection, special attention was paid to the quality of paneer and mawa being supplied to Mussoorie from outside areas. Samples of paneer and mawa were taken from dairy and sweet shops located at Gandhi Chowk and sent to the laboratory for testing.
Two samples of mustard oil, one of coriander powder, one of milk, and one of namkeen were taken from shops on Kuldi and Camel Back Road. A total of seven samples were collected and sent for testing.
Food Safety Officer, Mussoorie, Kapil Dev said that during major festivals like Holi, the demand for food items increases. At such times, some people resort to adulteration in the pursuit of profit. The department’s team is vigilantly monitoring the market. Upon receiving the test report, if any sample is found to be substandard, strict action will be taken against the seller under the Food Safety Act. He also appealed to the public to avoid purchasing open or suspicious food items and to report any complaints to the department.
The department says that this campaign will continue until Holi, and if necessary, surprise inspections will be conducted in other areas as well, to ensure that the sweetness of the festival is not marred by the bitterness of adulteration.
