Kajgaon residents seek FDA checks on sweets and food shops ahead of Diwali over adulteration fears

With the festive season near, the issue of food adulteration has again come up for discussion in Kajgaon. During Diwali, sweets, edible oil, dairy products, items for festive snacks and many other food products are sold in large quantities in the market. Residents have voiced concern about the quality of these products and about food safety. People are worried about the quality of the food they take home from festival shopping.

Some complaints had earlier been made to the Food and Drug Administration. As nobody is clear what action was taken on them, there is confusion among residents. Some residents say that action is not taken as expected even after complaints are made.

Villagers have repeatedly demanded regular inspections of food shops, eateries, supermarkets and sweet sellers in the Kajgaon area. According to residents, storage of food items, manufacturing dates, expired products, cleanliness, use of edible oil and the possibility of adulteration must all be checked on the spot. The demand is for inspections at the shops themselves, not paper checks alone.

The villagers' demands are as follows: a special inspection of all sweet shops, grocery shops, eateries, supermarkets and food sales outlets in Kajgaon; samples of suspect food items to be sent to a laboratory for testing; strict action under the law against traders who break the rules; and the details of action taken on earlier complaints to be made public. The demand is now gaining strength.

Residents say the Food and Drug Administration should launch an inspection drive urgently so that people's health is not put at risk during the festival. They are also asking whether food safety will otherwise remain only on paper.

In the residents' view, adulterated or substandard food can pose a serious health risk. During a festival such as Diwali, children, women and senior citizens eat sweets and other food items in large quantities. There is therefore a call for the administration to run a preventive inspection drive in advance, without waiting for complaints to come in.

Villagers are demanding that officials of the department concerned pay serious attention to Kajgaon and take note of the complaints received.