Just before the festive season, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) team in Gorakhpur has made a dangerous discovery: several sweet vendors were using bleaching powder and detergent powder to make sweets unnaturally white and shiny. In this raid, approximately 70 kg of sweets were destroyed.
In the Tahalka Miyan Bazaar area, the team raided the shop of a sweet vendor named Shubham Gupta. There, 50 kg of 'khilaunemithai' (toy-like sweets) and 20 kg of 'batasha' were seized and the entire stock was destroyed. The raid and investigation were led by Assistant Commissioner Dr. Sudhir Kumar Singh.
Bleaching powder and detergent powder are chemicals that make food surfaces “white and shiny” — but are extremely harmful to health.
Their consumption can lead to intestinal ulcers, digestive system problems, and in the long run, increase the likelihood of serious diseases like cancer.
The report warns that people should be wary of excessively white or shiny sweets and should only purchase sweets from clean and registered establishments.
An inspection was also conducted at the JMD brand namkeen (savory snacks) warehouse in the Gorakhnath area, where 300 kg of namkeen were destroyed.
Additionally, a paneer (cottage cheese) vendor refused to register with the team, leading to a dispute.
Food safety officials have stated that it is now illegal to sell any food product without registration, and strict action will be taken against such vendors.
