Watch out this Diwali if you are going for sweets! Or else, you may end up having recycled Doda burfi or ‘laddoo’. The spine-chilling fact came to light in course of a search operation carried out by personnel of the food control administration on two sweet manufacturing units in the state capital on Tuesday. The raiding party found out that the modus operandi of the manufacturers was to obtain rotten sweets from leading Patna shops, mix them with some fresh food ingredients, add new flavours and thereafter supply them back to the same sweets and confectionary outlets!

The team learnt that the manufacturers used industrial chemicals and imported flavours to give a fresh touch to the sweets. According to medical experts, the recycled sweets can permanently damage vital organs of human beings.

State food safety commissioner Sanjay Kumar, who ordered the search operation, said the manufacturers were also using expired milk powder and other ingredients to prepare sweets, particularly Doda burfi, demand for which is very high during the festive season.

He said over 1,000 kg of adulterated Doda burfi was seized during the raids on the factories located in Sanjay Nagar near the Mithapur bus stand and Postal Park under the jurisdiction of Jakkanpur police station. “FIRs have been lodged against the manufacturers as per provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011. One person has been arrested,” he said.

He said samples had been collected for examination in food testing laboratories.

The raids were conducted under supervision of designated officer Surendra Kumar. Help of the local police was also taken in carrying out the operation.

Sanjay said raids on the suspected manufacturing units and retail outlets would continue unabated all over the state. “Our sole purpose behind the operation is to provide pure and unadulterated sweet items to people of the state,” he stressed.