A routine food safety check ahead of Diwali turned into a shocking expose of the dark underbelly of the festive sweet industry. A factory in the industrial periphery of Ambala was caught producing sweets in conditions that officials described as “beyond unhygienic.”
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The Raid: Acting on a specific intelligence report regarding bulk supplies being sent to Chandigarh and Punjab, a specialized team from Chandigarh (UT) coordinated with local Ambala officials to strike the unit in the early hours of Monday.
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The Violation: Upon entering the processing hall, officials found workers manually processing dough meant for festive snacks by treading on it with their feet. “The visuals were revolting. There was no headgear, no gloves, and the floor where the dough was being processed was covered in grime and stagnant water,” said a Food Safety Officer.
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Seizures & Action: * Quantity Seized: Approx. 500 kg of semi-prepared sweets and 200 kg of suspected adulterated mawa (khoya).
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Status: The factory has been sealed indefinitely.
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Legal: The owner has been booked under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and faces a potential heavy fine and permanent cancellation of trading rights.
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Public Warning: The department has warned retailers who were sourcing from this unit to immediately recall their stocks. Consumers are advised to purchase sweets only from reputed shops that display their FSSAI registration numbers and avoid “too-good-to-be-true” festive discounts.
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Ongoing Drive: This raid is part of the “Clean Food, Safe Diwali” campaign. Similar inspections are currently underway at dairies and cold storage facilities across the Ambala-Chandigarh border to prevent the entry of synthetic milk and substandard sweets into the tricity area.
Health Advisory: Doctors have warned that food prepared in such unhygienic conditions can cause severe gastrointestinal infections, typhoid, and skin-related contamination. The Health Department has urged citizens to report any suspicious smell or unhygienic activity in residential godowns via the official food safety portal.
