As homes across Madhya Pradesh prepare to deck up thalis with sweets this Diwali, a month-long crackdown has exposed how deeply suspected adulteration has seeped into the festive food chain. The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) ran a special drive from 1 October to 1 November, inspecting sweet shops, namkeen units, dairies, oil traders and manufacturing units selling sweets, namkeen, edible oil, milk, mawa, paneer, ghee and beverages. According to the FDA, officials seized suspected food items worth about Rs 1.32 crore, collected 2,243 samples for testing, suspended 21 food licences and filed 150 prosecution cases under the Food Safety and Standards Act. The samples included 875 milk products, 394 namkeen, gram flour and edible oil samples, and 975 other food items. District after district threw up alleged violations. 

 

In Morena, the FDA said 3,000 kg of sorbitol was seized. In Shivpuri, the FDA said lead was detected in a batch of Paras Ghee, leading to a ban on that batch, and in Narmadapuram, six ghee brands faced prohibitory orders. In Bhopal, 700 kg of suspected analogue paneer worth 2.5 lakh was seized outside the railway station. In Bhind, a fine of 29 lakh was imposed on six dairies. In Chhindwara, two restaurants were sealed and two licences suspended, while two sweet shops were sealed in Satna. In a wider update, the FDA has declared over 50 ghee samples unsafe after lab tests allegedly found beta-sitosterol and faulty fatty-acid composition, indicating suspected mixing with vegetable and foreign fats. Separately, officials have flagged an older backlog: 1,894 samples collected from April onwards were still pending testing, even as fines were imposed in that period. Buy only from clean, FSSAI-licensed outlets and always take a bill. Check manufacturing and expiry dates, batch number and licence number, buy milk, mawa and paneer sweets fresh, and avoid open food exposed to dust and flies. Report suspicion on the Food Safety Connect app or helpline 1800-11-2100. Based on FDA statements and reports published on November 3. Lab results for the 2,243 samples are awaited.