Bhubaneswar: Stepping up the drive against adulterated milk products ahead of Rakhi Purnima, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) seized and destroyed around 100 kg of stale paneer from exclusive shops and hotels in the city.
The inspections, being carried out by the civic body’s food safety wing, come following numerous complaints of substandard paneer being sold in the city ahead of Rakhi Purnima festival.
Officials said the suspected adulteration was detected at paneer kiosks and hotels dealing in sweets and dairy items. The authorities have instituted cases under the Food Safety Act and served improvement notices on shops.
Around two quintals of paneer had been seized from multiple locations and destroyed In last two days as they were found unfit for consumption, said officials.
Two samples of paneer suspected to contain harmful supplements have been sent for laboratory examination. Meanwhile, fine of Rs 12,000 was imposed on 12 shop owners found selling stale paneer. The civic body has warned that further violations will invite stricter penalties and possible prosecution.
The crackdown is part of a larger food safety drive that has been going on since April. Between April and June, BMC seized and destroyed 132 kilograms of stale food during raids. Of the 19 food samples sent for laboratory testing during that period, all returned positive for contamination and were deemed unsafe for consumption. Altogether 288 samples were collected during 207 inspections across Bhubaneswar.
The drive is being carried out jointly by the mobile food safety laboratory team, the Sanitation and Hygiene Inspection for Neat Environment (SHINE) team, and food enforcement squads.