20,000 kg of adulterated sweets confiscated in Gorakhpur

Gorakhpur, Nov.1 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Police and Department of Food and Civil Supplies officials seized around 20,000 kilograms of adulterated sweets from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur District.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department raided sweets shops across the city, forcing them to shut down on Sunday.

"This is not pure sweetmeat as it was not cleared by any authority. As we know, milk production cannot increase suddenly to fulfill the sudden demand, so it is obviously adulterated sweetmeat. Nobody even came to claim this. This adulterated sweetmeat would be destroyed," said Anup Kumar Shrivastava, the City Magistrate of Gorakhpur.

The local sweet makers were unhappy with their shops being raided regularly.

"We buy this from Varanasi market. The officials should catch the culprits there rather than seizing it here. We have verified license from the wholesale market. The officers should go to the wholesale markets and collect the samples from there and take proper action," said Nand Kishore, a sweetmaker from Gorakhpur.

"When the sweetmeat is sold easily from the wholesale markets then the administration should catch the culprits there itself," he added.

Speaking to media persons in New Delhi, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad appreciated the role of the electronic media in bringing consumer awareness among the people.

He also said since during festive season the demand of sweets increases, and it is the duty of the State Government to protect their citizens from having adulterated food items.

"A raid should be carried out wherever sweets are made. They should check if any kind of adulteration is going on. A week before the Diwali celebration and in 2 days post-Diwali days, the State Government should be on high alert," Azad said on Sunday. By Pawan Shah (ANI)