Noida/Greater Noida : With the festival of Rakshabandhan just days away, festive cheer in Noida and surrounding areas has been marred by a wave of food safety inspections. In a surprise crackdown, food inspectors have seized over 340 kilograms of suspect food items, raising serious concerns over adulteration and consumer health.
Festival rush meets food fraud
As sweet shops and grocery stores gear up for the Rakhi rush, demand for dry fruits, refined oils, and sweets surges. But behind the festive sparkle, some traders appear to be cutting corners.
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Acting on this concern, food safety teams from the health department launched inspections across Noida, Greater Noida, and Dadri, targeting high-demand items that go into festive sweets and snacks.
Their findings were alarming.
Shops under the scanner
In Greater Noida West, officials raided Sundar Trading, where they found 150 kg of rice bran oil suspected to be adulterated. A few kilometres away in Kulesara village, Muskan Traders was found selling 15 kg of raisins and 178 kg of soybean oil — both without proper batch numbers or expiry dates.
The violations weren’t limited to grocery items. In Surajpur, a raid on Namaste Sweets led to the destruction of 35 kg of adulterated khoya (a key ingredient in many Indian sweets). Samples of milk and chenna were also taken for lab testing.
Big Brands, Small Batches
The team also visited prominent sweet shops in Noida’s busy Sectors 31, 43, 44, and 52 — including popular names like Haldiram’s, Om Sweets, Agarwal Sweets, and Bikaner Malaiwala. While no immediate seizure was reported at these outlets, 14 samples of sweets and used cooking oil were collected and sent for laboratory analysis.
Consumer Alert from Authorities
We aim to ensure that the public consumes safe and hygenic food during the festive season. Inspections will intensify in the coming days.
Sarvesh Mishra, Assistant Commissioner (Food)
The department is expected to continue these surprise checks until Rakshabandhan, which falls on August 9 this year.
Why This Matters
Rakshabandhan is a time when families come together, and sweets are central to the celebrations. But with unscrupulous traders trying to cash in on the demand, the risk to public health becomes very real. Adulterated oil and spoiled khoya are not just bad for taste — they can cause serious food poisoning and long-term health problems.
This crackdown acts as both a warning and a reminder: always check labels, buy from trusted vendors, and when in doubt — don’t consume.
Reader Tip: If you suspect a food item is unsafe, report it to your local food safety authority or call the FSSAI helpline at 1800-112-100.