FDA to monitor sweets distributed by Ganpati mandals

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will monitor sweets distributed by Ganpati mandals. Instructions have been issued to all Ganesh mandals to ensure that the ‘prasad’ or sweets distributed by them are prepared under hygienic conditions to prevent any infection or food poisoning incident.

According to the FDA joint commissioner Sanjay Naragude, the mandals should maintain cleanliness while preparing and distributing sweets or “prasad” during the Ganesh festival.

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“We are celebrating Ganeshotsav without restrictions after two years. FDA will monitor the quality of sweets distributed by mandals. There have been multiple incidents in the past wherein many devotees have fallen sick because of unhygienic food preparations,” Naragude said.

After the prayers, many devotees bring sweets to distribute at mandals. These sweets, however, may not be prepared under the most hygienic conditions, may cause indigestion and other related diseases.

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Sanjay Naragude said: “Mandals should test the quality of material used to prepare sweets. The places where these sweets are prepared should also be hygienic. The sweets should contain dry products to ensure longer shelf life.”

The FDA officials will be testing products like khoya, sweets, cooking oils to check adulteration.

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The FDI has in the past few weeks, cracked down upon several sweet shops, storage centres that have stored or used adulterated food products during festivals.