Delhi’s food safety department seized and destroyed around 7,000 kilograms of rotten and foul-smelling khoya from the Khoa Mandi in Mori Gate during a festival-season enforcement drive, according to a report by Jagran. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspected the action and directed officials to continue checks against adulterated food products.
The department collected 44 surveillance samples during the operation. Preliminary testing using a food safety inspection vehicle found that 35 samples had failed. Two additional samples were sent to a laboratory for detailed examination. The initial checks detected milk powder, vanaspati and binding substances in the khoya, the report said.
Gupta warned that strict legal action would be taken against those selling fake or adulterated food products. She instructed officials to maintain the campaign and prevent substandard khoya, paneer, ghee and other food items from reaching markets during the festival period.
The Mori Gate action was the fourth such operation at the khoya market. The department had earlier destroyed 2,830 kilograms of khoya on September 4, 610 kilograms on September 8 and 520 kilograms on October 23. With the latest seizure, the total quantity of khoya destroyed at the market has reached 10,660 kilograms, according to the report.
The enforcement drive also found concerns over the quality of desi ghee. Of 59 ghee samples examined by the food safety department, 19 were classified as unsafe for human consumption and four were found to be below prescribed quality standards. During raids in Bhogal, Najafgarh and Shiv Vihar on October 29, officials seized 948.9 litres of ghee and sent 15 samples for laboratory testing.
The department said it had conducted 30 campaigns across Delhi during the previous two months and examined 290 food samples. Of these, 85 were found to be unsafe or below the required quality standards. More than 4,000 kilograms of food material was destroyed during this period. The report did not provide details of prosecutions, penalties or the final laboratory findings for the samples sent for detailed testing.
