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News emerged this week that the district administration in Indore is doubling down on robust enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act as 130 cases are currently being resolved since January. A fine amount totalling Rs 1.14 crore was imposed, out of which Rs 80.80 lakh have been recovered and authorities have shared that failure to pay fines led to suspension of licences or registrations for 12 institutions.
In regards to this case, Collector Asheesh Singh emphasised the need to ensure the availability of pure, quality food products for consumers and urged for regular inspections. In a different part of Indore, particularly in Bhind, The Food Safety Department has introduced new regulations to curb dairy adulteration.
The district has a reputation for the production of contaminated and low-quality dairy and mawa. However, under these new rules, all milk vendors must register with the department and carry an official identity card. They will need to have a lactometer with them, a device used to assess milk quality and detect adulteration. The main issue contributing to the adulteration problem has been the lack of transparency, as none of the district's over 4,000 milkmen are currently registered with any official body. This lack of oversight has made it easy for vendors to dilute milk or mix in other substances.
The department aims to reassure consumers and reduce adulteration in dairy products by issuing identity cards and requiring quality checks. Between January and August, the Food Safety Department registered FIRs against nine individuals in the district for adulteration and booked three people under the National Security Act (NSA). According to department data, 326 samples were collected over the eight-month period, of which 51 samples failed quality tests. Among these, 23 failed samples were related to dairy products such as milk, Mawa, and paneer.
