With Diwali approaching and demand for sweets increasing across Surat, SMC has intensified its food safety inspections to prevent the sale of adulterated and substandard food products.

The civic body’s Food Safety Department has deployed nine special teams to inspect sweet shops and manufacturing units across the city. The teams are checking the quality of ingredients commonly used in festive sweets, including mawa, cashews, almonds and silver foil.

SMC Collects Samples from Sweet Shops

During the inspection drive, food safety officials are collecting samples of suspicious food products from sweet shops and production units. The samples have been sent to the SMC’s Public Health Laboratory for quality and purity testing.

The campaign is being conducted under the guidance of the Municipal Commissioner, Health Department and Designated Officer. Officials are focusing on ingredients that are widely used in preparing sweets during the festive season.

According to Food Safety Officer Kamakshi Saylor, laboratory testing generally takes around 14 days. However, considering the Diwali festival, the laboratory has been asked to speed up the process so that the reports can be received earlier.

Action to Be Taken if Adulteration Is Found

SMC officials have stated that strict action will be taken if laboratory reports reveal adulteration or violations of prescribed food quality standards. Those found responsible may face proceedings under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act. Further action will depend on the laboratory findings and the nature of the violations.

16 Sweet Outlets Inspected, 31 Samples Collected by Surat SMC

SMC’s Food Safety Department inspected 16 sweet-selling outlets across Surat and collected 31 samples of sweets and desserts for laboratory examination.

The civic body has also carried out a separate inspection at a milk-products establishment on New Bamroli Road, near Tirupati Circle. Officials collected paneer samples, issued notices over hygiene-related deficiencies and seized 398 kg of low-fat paneer, estimated to be worth approximately ₹1.11 lakh. The paneer samples have also been sent for laboratory testing. Further action will depend on the findings.

What Should Consumers Check Before Buying Diwali Sweets?

As festive purchases increase, residents can take a few precautions:

• Buy sweets from clean and reliable shops.
• Check packaging, manufacturing dates and expiry dates wherever applicable.
• Prefer properly labelled and packaged products.
• Avoid sweets with unusual colour, smell or appearance.
• Check that packaged food products carry the required food safety information.
• Ask for a bill when purchasing sweets in bulk.

SMC’s inspection campaign aims to ensure that sweets and other festive food products sold in Surat meet food safety standards. Consumers should wait for official laboratory findings before drawing conclusions about any particular shop or product.

The civic body’s inspections are continuing as Surat prepares for Diwali, with food quality and consumer safety remaining key priorities during the festive season.

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