Ranchi district administration has made registration mandatory for all paneer manufacturers, sellers and commercial users, while ordering intensified inspections and sample testing ahead of Diwali and Chhath Puja. The measures are aimed at identifying adulterated or substandard paneer and tracing the suppliers serving hotels, restaurants, sweet shops and other food establishments.
Deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri issued the directions at a meeting with officials on Saturday, saying food safety was directly linked to public health. He directed food safety officials to take strict action against establishments found selling adulterated or substandard food items.
Under the directive, manufacturers, sellers and commercial users of paneer must obtain registration. Businesses operating without registration will face action under the applicable rules, the administration said. Officials have also been instructed to collect paneer samples regularly and initiate legal proceedings against manufacturers and vendors if laboratory testing confirms adulteration.
Ranchi zone-II food safety officer Pawan Kumar said inspections had begun at sweet shops selling paneer. Officials are collecting details of the shops’ suppliers and checking whether those suppliers are registered under the Food Safety Act. “We have launched inspections at shops and are collecting details of their suppliers. We are also verifying whether they are registered under the Food Safety Act. Suppliers found violating food safety norms will be penalised under the Act,” Kumar said.
The enforcement drive extends beyond paneer. The food safety department has stepped up inspections of sweets and other food items being sold in the city ahead of the festive period. The administration’s approach combines checks at retail outlets with supply-chain verification, placing responsibility on both sellers and the businesses supplying them.
On Monday, officials inspected three shops in the Kutchery Chowk and Bariatu areas. Samples of several food items were collected and sent to the food safety laboratory to determine whether they were adulterated. The inspections are part of the district’s broader effort to monitor food sold in the city during a period when demand for paneer, sweets and other festive products increases.
The laboratory reports will determine the next steps in the cases arising from the samples. Officials said further action would be taken against establishments and suppliers based on the test results, while businesses found violating food safety requirements could face proceedings under the Food Safety Act.
