Chandigarh, October 29- Haryana Food and Drug Authority has conducted raids during the festival season to curb the sale of adulterated food items. A total of 340 samples were taken out of which result of 42 samples were declared and out of these 17 samples failed. Reports of the failed samples have been sent to the appropriate authority in the respective districts for further necessary action.
While stating this here today, a Health Minister Rao Narender Singh advised the people to avoid consumption of colored sweets as the unpermitted colors used in the sweets could be toxic and lead to diseases. People must ask for a bill whenever they purchase sweets or eatables. “Warq” (silver lining on the sweets) coated sweets should be bought with great caution as the “Warq” may be of aluminum foil, which is not digested and harmful to the body. Fried eatables should be avoided as they contain transfat which increases the bad cholesterol level in the body. People should avoid eating cut fruits as they are unhygienically stored and can cause disease.
He said that for selling sub-standard food, fine might extend up to Rs five lakh, for selling misbranded food fine might extend up to Rs three lakh and for misleading advertisement penalty might extend up to Rs.10 lakh. For selling unsafe food which was unfit for human consumption and caused injury the fine might extend up to Rs five lakh and imprisonment of up to six years and if a person died by consuming unsafe food the fine would not be less than Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment not less than seven years.
He warned the sweet shop owners that this campaign would continue in near future in the entire state of Haryana and will not spare any one selling adulterated food items. He appealed to the people of Haryana not to buy unhygienic products and go through the instructions given by Food and Drug Administration from time to time.