Raipur
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched ‘Bane Khabo-Bane Rahibo 2.0’, a seven-day public awareness and enforcement drive in Chhattisgarh on 17 August ahead of Raksha Bandhan and upcoming festivals. On the first day, FDA officials carried out extensive inspections and collected samples from sweet shops, hotels, restaurants, bakeries, wholesalers, and food manufacturing units across several districts.
The campaign aims to combat food adulteration while ensuring hygienic production, correct labelling, proper storage, personal hygiene of workers, and consumer awareness.
Late-Night Raid on Fake Cottage Cheese Unit
A joint team of FDA, revenue, and police personnel conducted a late-night raid on Vaidya Food Products factory on Bhalesar Road in Mahasamund district following complaints of artificial paneer manufacturing. During the three-hour operation, officials thoroughly inspected the premises and sealed nearly 300 kg of prepared paneer stored in a cold facility. Samples were sent for laboratory analysis, and further action will follow the test results.
Food Samples Collected Across Districts
FDA teams collected legal and surveillance samples from various establishments across the state:
Raipur: Three legal samples of son cake, gulab jamun, and rasgulla were taken from Dumartarai wholesale market.
Durg: Inspectors checked confectionery outlets, taking two legal and two surveillance samples.
Balod: Three legal samples of paneer, khoya, and boondi laddu were picked up, and shop owners were instructed to maintain cleanliness.
Bilaspur: Officials seized 23 cartons containing around 102 kg of misbranded barfi and sent samples for testing. A sample of khasta sweet was also picked up from another unit.
Korba: Samples of Mysore pak and coconut laddu were taken, while misbranded food items worth ₹10,000 were seized.
Raigarh: Teams gathered samples of khoya, kalakand, and packed coconut laddu. Instructions were issued against selling unlabelled food items.
Kanker: One legal sample of peda and two surveillance samples of gathiya and boondi were collected.
Rajnandgaon: Officials picked up a legal sample of paneer and surveillance samples of curd, peda, and laddu.
Kabdirdham: Teams gathered legal samples of khoya barfi and paneer.
Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai: Four legal samples including sweets, ghee, fruit jelly, and samosas were drawn.
Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi: Officials drew legal and surveillance samples based on complaints on the Chief Minister’s portal.
Sarangarh-Bilaigarh: Food safety officers inspected sweet shops and fruit vendors, issuing warnings against producing or selling adulterated products.
FDA teams also inspected food premises in Sukma, Bastar, Surguja, and Surajpur, directing owners to strictly observe hygiene standards.
Ban on Newspaper Packaging and Harmful Colours
Officials issued clear instructions to traders and food business operators against using newspapers for packing food items. The department warned vendors against using prohibited synthetic food colours.
Establishments were instructed to maintain clean premises, follow safe storage practices, ensure worker hygiene, display valid FSSAI licences, and clear expired products. Officials stated that legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, will be initiated against violators.
Appeal to Consumers
The FDA advised citizens to check manufacturing and expiry dates, packaging quality, and FSSAI licence numbers while purchasing sweets and food items during the festive period. Consumers can report suspected adulteration or unhygienic conditions directly to the food safety department.
