In a move to ensure food safety during the festive season, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has made rapid food-testing kits mandatory for sweet shops and mawa and farsan manufacturers with an annual turnover of more than Rs 5 lakh. The initiative will allow customers to request preliminary quality checks at the counter before purchasing sweets and other food products.
The decision comes amid growing concerns over food adulteration during Diwali, when the demand for sweets and festive food items rises sharply. Recently, authorities seized more than 40,000 kg of adulterated mawa, raising concerns about the use of unsafe ingredients in festive food products.
The decision was taken at the AMC Standing Committee meeting on Thursday. Committee chairman Kamlesh Patel said the testing kits cost around Rs 3,000 and must be kept by all establishments covered under the directive.The kits can detect starch in mawa, check whether the silver coating (varakh) used on sweets is genuine and identify the presence of added colours.
Customers who suspect adulteration can ask shopkeepers to conduct a preliminary test at the counter. If they remain dissatisfied with the results, they can file a complaint with the AMC health department, health officer Dr Tejas Shah said.Patel said around 350 outlets had already purchased the kits, which can be used to screen food products for certain adulterants, including starch.The AMC health department has been instructed to ensure that all eligible establishments keep the testing kits and cooperate with customers seeking quality checks.
Shops found selling substandard food products will face action under food safety regulations, Shah added.The initiative aims to make festive food shopping safer by encouraging consumers to check product quality before purchasing.
Although the kits are meant only for preliminary screening and cannot detect every type of adulteration, they will provide customers with an additional way to raise concerns about the quality of sweets and other food items.