Ahead of Diwali, to ensure that the quality of sweets being sold in Delhi is up to the mark, the government has launched a special drive to maintain strict surveillance on the sale of Khoya and Mawa. The government’s food safety department has deputed six enforcement teams and conducted raids to prevent sale of spurious khoya.
The government has also deployed mobile testing vans that are being used to create awareness in people and quickly checking raw material that seem suspicious.
The enforcement teams have so far conduced five raids at Khoya Mandi auction site at Mori gate from where the khoya is distributed across Delhi. During the surveillance, officers from the food safety department have collected 188 samples to check for the quality of khoya and 25 legal samples (the results of analysis of these samples can be presented in court as evidence).
Around 3,200 kg of khoya that was either spurious or thought to be so was destroyed by the teams.
The government is strictly monitoring and inspecting the premises of various food businesses to ensure that the sweets are prepared in a hygienic manner. Around 130,000 food business operators have been sent emails along with attached awareness materials on Covid-19 appropriate behaviour and food handling during festive seasons and check on common adulterants in sweets.
“The government is very serious about the health of the people of Delhi. We are keeping a vigil on the sale of Khoya and Mawa as these are used to prepare most sweets that are in high demand during Diwali,” said Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain.
{{/usCountry}}“The government is very serious about the health of the people of Delhi. We are keeping a vigil on the sale of Khoya and Mawa as these are used to prepare most sweets that are in high demand during Diwali,” said Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain.
{{/usCountry}}The department is also participating in creating awareness where over 2,500 food business operators were sensitized through 10 webinars.