Chennai: Sweet making units under food safety scanner

CHENNAI: Food safety department is all set to ensure hygienic and safe manufacture of food items as per the food safety standards, ahead of Deepavali. Food safety officer is to grant advisory to sweets manufacturing units on the standards of food to be maintained during the festive season. The advisory will be followed by an inspection at all sweets manufacturing units to check for adulteration and hygiene maintenance, said officials. Sensitive areas that witness temporary sweet manufacturing establishments in North Chennai are under special scanner this year.

“An advisory for all sweet manufacturers in the city, to maintain the food safety standards will be issued next week. It is mostly temporary sweet manufacturing units that mushroom during festive season and do not maintain the quality of food, which leads to food poisoning and other diseases. Several areas in North Chennai like Sowcarpet, Royapettah, Avadi and also T Nagar have been identified to conduct special check at all units ahead of Deepavali,” said Dr R. Kathiravan, designated officer, food safety department.

Besides regular check on adulteration of raw materials such as milk, ghee, oil and flours, personal hygiene of the workers will also be inspected. “Last year, it was found during the inspection that working in high temperatures, workers fail to maintain proper hygiene and clean working environment. Such issues will be kept under inspection this year,” he added.

Officials from the food safety department said that advisory shall focus on usage of colours in sweets. Manufacturers should only use approved colours less than 100 ppm along with good quality of raw materials, milk, ghee and oil for preparing sweets. The packaging of milk sweets should be done separately from other sweets, as they do not last longer.