Buying sweets for Ganeshotsav? FDA has advice for you

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Ahead of Ganeshotsav, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) will start a special festival drive to check on the quality of sweets sold in the market. The FDA has also issued guidelines for the customers buying sweets and if they come across any substandard quality incident on a toll-free number.

According to the FDA officials during festivals, sweets, snacks product made up of milk, edible oil, vegetable oil (vanaspati), are sold in larger quality in the market because of which there are higher chances of selling substandard and poor quality products.

The FDA has advised customers to report substandard quality products sold on the toll-free number - 1800222356.

Speaking about the precautions to be taken by the customers before buying any festival food products, Shashikant Kenkre, Joint Commissioner, Food (Mumbai region), said, "The customers are advised to buy the products from a licensed shop rather than from street vendors selling without any food licence. They should buy freshly made sweets and also check 'use by date' before purchasing to avoid buying sweets which have crossed expiry date."

Also Read: Mumbai: FDA to promote ‘Eat Right Food' in school canteens and community kitchens

The festivals' special inspection drive by FDA will go on till December end of this year.

Speaking about the inspection drive, the FDA official added, "We have advice the shopkeepers to prepare sweets in hygienic conditions, use drinking water while making it, and also a 'use by date' must be mentioned while displaying the sweets and namkeen on the counter for sale. More importantly a temperature check must be done on the workers before they start the preparation."

The action will be taken under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.