Despite mawa prices rising sharply ahead of festive occasions of Raksha Bandhan and Ganeshotsav, greedy sweet makers are using spurious material to make sweets.
Even after spending a fortune on sweets this festive season, chances are the mithai you pack home may be adulterated. Despite mawa prices rising sharply ahead of festive occasions of Raksha Bandhan and Ganeshotsav, greedy sweet makers are using spurious material to make sweets.
In a major bust on Monday, the public health department of the municipal corporation seized 428 kg of spurious mawa from two dairy shops at Bhandup. The mawa, estimated to be worth Rs56,390, was later destroyed. Acting on a tip-off, food inspectors and health officials conducted raids at Shri Ganesh Dairy and Sai Krupa Dairy located at Nadas Nagar in Bhandup (west).
A food inspector said that starch powder could have been used to adulterate the mawa. The BMC has sent four mawa samples taken from these shops to the Pune-based Central Food Laboratory for chemical analysis, the results of which will confirm the ingredient used, and its extent.
The BMC has also decided to prosecute the owners of these shops—Govardan Kumavat from Shri Ganesh dairy and Ghanshyam Kumawat who owns Sai Krupa dairy—under the prevention of food adulteration act, 1954. Offenders can be sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and/or fined Rs1,000 if found guilty under the provisions of the act. Health officials said their trade license could be cancelled as well.
While the adulteration was checked in time in this case, civic officials admit it would be difficult to achieve zero-adulteration of sweets in Mumbai, with mithai and dairy shops spread all across the city.
Sweet makers use just about anything from vegetable fats to starch powder and petroleum derivatives to adulterate sweets. BMC executive health official Dr Jayaraj Thanekar said that the public health department has decided to conduct random checks to monitor the quality of mawa being sold. He added that similar quality checks will also be conducted in godowns.
“Instructions have been passed to immediately destroy spurious mawa,” said Thanekar. BMC recently held a meeting with a delegation of sweet makers and stressed the need to check the price and the quality of sweets being sold during the festive season.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}