Diwali 2025 has begun, and the fervour of the festive season has gripped the country. During this period, sales of sweets and other festive items skyrocket in most places. Food safety concerns, especially in terms of adulteration and unsafe cooking practices, also tend to increase. Recently, officials in Telangana conducted state-wide inspections of sweets manufacturing units as well as retailers. 95 establishments were covered across 33 districts, and several food safety issues were flagged on some premises. The officials have also taken specific actions to address the same.
Also Read: Suspected Adulterated Ghee, Halwa, Mawa Worth Rs 12 Lakh Found In Indore During Raid
The food safety violations discovered by the teams include:
- Use of synthetic food colours in milk-based sweets
- Adulterated ghee
- Reused cooking oil
- Non-food-grade silver foils
- Poor hygiene in manufacturing units.
- Unlabelled and expired food products
The officials seized more than 60 kgs of sweets, 40 kgs of bread and other adulterated food products during their inspections. Certain contaminated items and synthetic colour-infused sweets were discarded on site. However, others were collected and sent for laboratory analysis (77 enforcement samples and 157 surveillance samples were lifted). The team also did spot testing when the option for 'Food Safety on Wheels' was available. Moreover, the officials issued improvement notices for establishments with unhygienic premises.
#foodsafetytelangana Enforcement Actions Taken:
· 60+ kg of sweets, 40 kgs of bread and other adulterated food products seized.
· Improvement notices issued for unhygienic premises.
· Contaminated/colour-infused sweets discarded on site.
· Samples sent to FTL for immediate… pic.twitter.com/eFHc06ZRkw— Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana (@cfs_telangana) October 18, 2025
Also Read: Ahead Of Diwali, Paneer And Khoya Samples Seized In Chandigarh. Here's How To Spot Adulteration
Consumer Advisory For Festive Season: Food Safety Tips To Make The Right Purchases
During the festive season, here's what the food safety department in Telangana advises consumers to do:
- Purchase sweets and ingredients only from licensed, hygienic outlets that clearly display a valid FSSAI registration number.
- Avoid sweets that appear excessively bright, unnaturally coloured, or covered with non-food-grade silver foil.
- Do not consume items that look stale, emit an unusual odour, or are stored in unhygienic conditions.
- Rely on your senses: choose freshly prepared products and ensure they come with proper packaging and labelling.
- Always check the "Date of Manufacture" and "Best Before" dates before making a purchase.
- Stay alert to possible adulteration in commonly used ingredients such as milk, khoya, paneer, ghee, and oil.
- If you suspect adulteration or come across substandard, misbranded, or adulterated food products, promptly report the matter to the concerned authorities.
Before this, officials in Telangana inspected multiple units that manufacture/repack spices. A range of violations were flagged on their premises. Read about the findings of their food safety inspection here.