Adulterated food items are being sold openly

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

Beware while buying traditional sweets like Gujiya and Burfi touted as Desi Ghee preparations are quite popular among people on Holi, because adulterated items are being used during its preparation. The presence of adulterated food items has gone largely unchecked in the markets even as purchases of such items rise during festive occasions like Holi.

Although the sweets and other food items associated with such festivities are considered an important part of the revelleries, a sample survey conducted by the Society of Pollution and Environment Conservation Scientists (SPECS) has found that a wide range of food items in the market are adulterated.

The society collected 490 samples of various food items from locations including Rajpur, Mussoorie, Doiwala, Vikasnagar,Rishikesh, Haldwani and Almora. According to the SPECS secretary BM Sharma, adulteration was found in about 85 per cent of the samples. Minimum adulteration was found in Paneer samples at 55 per cent while 100 per cent of Mustard oil samples were found to be adulterated. The need of the hour is to guard against all these.

The other items which tested positive for adulteration include sweets like Laddu, Burfi, milk cake and other items like ghee, tea leaves, clove, coffee, milk, mawa, turmeric and red chilly powder among other items.