The practice of adulterating sweets goes on unabated, while the government’s food safety oversight remains ineffective. The entire system for verifying the purity of sweets sold in the market during festivals is under scrutiny. There is only one laboratory in the whole of Jharkhand dedicated to testing food products.
This single facility bears the burden of samples from across the state, and there is only one official authorized to certify the final reports. Consequently, it takes months for a test result to be issued—by which time the adulterated sweets have already been sold and consumed by the public. In Palamu, too, the testing process is sluggish.
Although the department collects samples, the business of adulteration continues while the reports remain pending. This raises a critical question: if it takes months to confirm adulteration, how can those who jeopardize public health be held accountable in a timely manner? While food safety officials collect samples from sweet shops, local-level testing is largely limited to detecting refined flour (maida), starch, and banned food coloring. Samples must be sent to a laboratory in Ranchi for more comprehensive testing, where it can take months for results to be processed.
As a result, by the time the testing of samples collected during festivals is complete, the sweets in question have already been sold. This delay undermines the purpose of taking immediate action, even after adulteration is confirmed.
Legal complexities regarding the use of refined flour (maida)
Food Safety Officer Lav Kumar Gupta explained that the presence of refined flour (maida) or starch in sweets is not, in itself, illegal. Therefore, strict action cannot be taken solely on the basis of finding these substances.
Action is only possible if, at the time of sample collection, the shopkeeper declares that the sweet—made from *chhena* (fresh curd cheese), *paneer*, or *khoya* (milk solids)—does not contain refined flour, yet subsequent testing reveals its presence. In such a scenario, action can be taken against the shopkeeper. Need for Improvement in the Testing System
With the increased demand for sweets during the festive season, ensuring their quality becomes essential. However, relying on a single laboratory for the entire state, delays in test reports, and lengthy administrative procedures hinder efforts to curb food adulteration.
There is a need to increase the number of testing laboratories, establish a fixed timeline for the issuance of reports, and strengthen the oversight of the Food Safety Department, so that timely action can be taken against those involved in adulteration.
