Full Breakdown
Delhi Food Safety Drive Flags Hygiene Lapses at Sweet Makers Ahead of Festive Season
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Inspection Findings at Sweet Manufacturing Units
Delhi’s Food Safety Department inspected a range of sweet-manufacturing units and shops across the capital in the weeks preceding the Diwali-Dussehra festivities. Inspectors documented multiple violations, including:
- Visible insect activity and insects in storage areas, notably at Evergreen Sweet House in Okhla Phase-II.
- Absence of insect-proof mesh on windows at Grover Sweet Corner (Naraina), Meethi Foods (Naraina) and Singla Sweets (IP Extension).
- Employees handling confectionery without gloves, and improper storage of personal belongings within workspaces.
- Open dustbins, grease buildup on exhaust systems, cobwebs on chimneys, and inadequate pest-control equipment.
- Missing or improperly displayed Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences, insufficient training records for food handlers, and incomplete packaging documentation at several sites, including Puri Baker and Bansiwala Sweets in the Badli Industrial Area.
Specific establishments cited for lapses included Kali Ghata Sweets (Vidya Vihar Industrial Area), Bhikaram Chandmal Private Limited (Chandni Chowk), Chaina Ram Sindhi Halwai (Chandni Chowk), Haldiram Marketing (Mathura Road), Bikanerwala (Okhla) and Heera Sweets (Patparganj Industrial Area).
Sample Collection and Laboratory Testing
During the inspections, officials collected a broad array of sweet samples for laboratory analysis, such as khoya, barfi, pista barfi, rasbhari, laddoos, boondi dana, and peda. Additional food items—including green peas, Greek yoghurt, eggless chocolate-chip brownies and cow ghee—were seized from storage facilities operated by online food-delivery and retail companies.
The department also tested 59 samples of desi ghee obtained from various market outlets.
Data Summary
- Desi ghee testing: 19 of the 59 samples were deemed unsafe, and four failed to meet food-safety standards. The Delhi Chief Minister’s Office reported on October 17 that more than 42 percent of the ghee samples did not meet the required standards.
- Pest-related violations: Insects or signs of pest activity were observed in at least three inspected sweet units and in multiple online-platform storage sites, where flies, mosquitoes and even a lizard were recorded.
- Protective equipment: Several establishments were found lacking gloves for food-handling staff and without designated areas for employee belongings.
Official Statements and Government Response
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta emphasized that public health will not be compromised during the festive period. She asserted that the government is committed to ensuring that every family can trust the hygiene and quality of food purchased for celebrations. The Chief Minister’s office directed the Food Safety Department to strengthen monitoring of markets, food-storage facilities and online-platform suppliers, and to take action in accordance with existing regulations wherever violations are confirmed.
Background and Context
The inspections were part of a broader enforcement drive launched by the Delhi government to pre-empt a surge in sweet consumption during Diwali and Dussehra. Earlier phases of the drive examined warehouses and “dark stores” used by e-commerce and quick-commerce firms, uncovering expired products, pest infestations and temperature-control failures.
What’s Next
The Food Safety Department will issue improvement notices to the establishments cited and will base any further enforcement action on the forthcoming laboratory test results. Ongoing monitoring of both traditional sweet manufacturers and online-platform storage sites is planned throughout the festive season.