Although Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has mandated for sweet shops to display ‘best before date’ on all types of sweet items to prevent the customers from purchasing stale product but most of shops in state capital Bhopal yet to do so. ‘The Hitavada’ team checked various shops of city in New Market, Chowk, old city, Ten No Market, MP Nagar and many other areas where it was revealed that most of sweet shops had taken rule casually and were not displaying tag of expiry date. There are some well established sweet shops in major market areas of city and they are too following the lethargic attitude towards display of expiry date. These shops have displayed the date for section of sweets in manipulating way and also kept some sweets in other section without displaying the date.

 

Talking to ‘The Hitavada’ shop owner of a well established sweet shop in MP Nagar said, “All sweets are freshly prepared in view of festival. Who have time to give date note before each item. People are lining up from entry gate to get the sweet so we have to cope up with the rush with additional staff. We do not sale stale sweet but if you want to know the date, I will bring the tag for you.”

 

Even a popular sweet shop owner at Hoshangabad Road brought the tag from inside saying that no one check the date during festival and people want to enjoy the taste only. “We always display the date of all items but this time we forgot as it is festive rush, I will put it for sure” Most of sweet shops in Bhopal are avoiding the FSSAI guidelines. The guidelines says that different sweets have different expiry times as it depends on ingredients. When contacted Rajesh Pillai, Deputy Controller, Weights and Measures Department, said, “Food inspectors are having their duty in Lok Sabha election. Most of staff is busy in election so no campaign can be carried out to inspect sweet shops during of Holi.” He further said that every year many shops were radided where and stale Mawa and other eatable were sold. He said that department has asked shop owners to follow the rules by putting tag of expiry date. Earlier on June 1, 2020 FSSAI has mandated to display the ‘best before date’ before each eatables at shops.