New Delhi, February 26 – In a proactive move to safeguard public health before the festive Holi celebrations, the Delhi government’s Food Safety Department launched a stringent campaign against food adulteration on Thursday. Teams seized 66 food samples, including paneer, khoya, and pulses, targeting potential contaminants in popular festival staples.
Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh emphasized that the drive focused on systematic sampling and preventing adulteration. ‘The Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government places the health and safety of its citizens above all,’ he declared. ‘We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards food adulteration. Our teams are actively inspecting markets, production units, and border entry points to ensure only safe, quality food reaches consumers.’
An official detailed that the special operation collected 54 surveillance samples and 12 statutory samples to enforce food safety standards strictly, with legal action promised where violations are found. The samples spanned ready-to-eat foods (16), salts, spices, soups, sauces, salads, and protein products (18), grains and grain products (17), fats, oils, and emulsions (11), and dairy products including khoya and paneer (4).
With rising consumption of pulses and related products, special attention was given to these items. Inspection teams were deployed in major khoya and paneer markets to check dairy quality and safety. Minister Singh instructed officials to extend checks beyond markets into densely populated residential areas where local production and supply of these items occur. Production units operating in housing colonies are under strict surveillance.
This intensified effort underscores the government’s commitment to public welfare, especially during festival seasons when food demand surges. Citizens are urged to stay vigilant and report suspicious activities, ensuring a safer Holi for all.