Gautam Budh Nagar: Admin conducts inspections for adulterated food in Navratris

Officials are checking the commonly consumed items during Navratri such as singhara flour, kuttu flour, and sabudana to prevent any sort of adulteration of food items

To ensure availability of quality food and beverages for residents of Gautam Budh Nagar during the ongoing Navratri festival, the district administration on Friday launched a drive to check for adulterated food in shops, said officials of the food safety and drug administration (FSDA).

The aim is to prevent the sale of adulterated or substandard food products during the festival season. And, teams are conducting surprise inspections and collecting samples of key food items from shops in Noida and Greater Noida. (HT Photo)

They said the aim is to prevent the sale of adulterated or substandard food products during the festival season. And, teams are conducting surprise inspections and collecting samples of key food items from shops in Noida and Greater Noida.

Officials are checking the commonly consumed items during Navratri such as singhara (water chestnuts) flour, kuttu (buckwheat) flour, and sabudana (tapioca pearls), to prevent any sort of adulteration of food items.

“With Navratri being an important festival, we want to ensure that the food products people consume during their fasts meet the highest quality standards. The Gautam Budh Nagar administration is committed to safeguarding the health of residents. Our teams are working tirelessly to collect samples and send them for laboratory analysis,” said Sarvesh Mishra, assistant commissioner of food (second).

In the last two days, at least six places were inspected and various food items were collected for quality testing.

As per the information from FSDA officials, food safety officers OP Singh and Amar Bahadur Saroj searched the Green Arch Market in Greater Noida, where a sample of singhara flour from Krishna Atta Chakki was collected.

In Bisrakh Jalalpur, sabudana samples were taken from A-One Grocery Mart Private Limited.

In addition, samples of kuttu flour from Kendriya Bhandar store in Sector 68 and A to Z in Sector 107, Noida, were collected.

Another FSDA team inspected a manufacturing unit in Kasna Industrial Area, from where both kuttu and singhara flour samples were collected.

All samples have been sent to a laboratory, and further action will be ascertained based on results, said officials.

“Our focus is on ensuring that residents have access to pure and safe food, especially during this auspicious festival,” Mishra said, adding, “Similar inspections will continue throughout the Navratri season.”