FDA serves notice on Bhiwandi sweet shop after alleged video of rat in gulab jamun vessel goes viral
The Food and Drug Administration took a sample and told the shop to stop business after it was found to lack a food business registration certificate; the shopkeeper disputes the video.
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An alleged video from a sweet shop in Bhiwandi, Thane district, has gone viral on social media and caused a stir. The video is claimed to show a rat floating in a vessel full of gulab jamun. After it spread, the question of food hygiene and safety has come up for discussion again.
Hygiene rules must be followed while preparing and storing sweets and other food items. After the video began to be discussed, a team of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the shop concerned, Harish Gulab Jamun Dukan in Bhiwandi. During the inspection, FDA officials took a sample of the gulab jamun for testing. A panchnama was also drawn up at the spot.
It has been stated that the inspection found the shop did not have the required food business registration certificate. The administration has therefore served the shop a notice to stop business. Further action on food quality and compliance with rules is likely.
The shopkeeper has meanwhile made a different claim. The shopkeeper is said to suspect that a dismissed employee made the video out of vengeance. This claim has not been independently confirmed. The shopkeeper has also reportedly declined to speak on camera.
It will therefore be important to establish when and in what circumstances the video was made. The claims in the video circulating on social media and the information that emerged in the actual inspection both need to be verified.
Further action is likely once the test report on the gulab jamun sample taken by the FDA arrives. The laboratory findings will carry weight in determining whether the food is safe. The administration may also take further action on the missing registration certificate.
The incident has set off discussion on hygiene in sweet shops in Bhiwandi, the storage of food and compliance with food safety rules. Whether the video of a rat in the gulab jamun is genuine, and how true the shopkeeper's claim is, will ultimately be clear only from the investigation.
