Delhi destroys nearly 3,000kg of dairy products in festive-season food checks

Nearly 3,000kg of dairy products and related food items were destroyed in Delhi as food safety teams stepped up checks ahead of the festive season.

At Khoya Mandi, Mori Gate, Bagh Deewar and Sanjay Market, officials found about 2,830kg of unclaimed khoya, dhaap and butter stored in unhygienic conditions. The stock was foul-smelling and deteriorating, officials said. Sellers were asked through public announcements to claim it, but none came forward; it was then confiscated and destroyed at the MCD dumping site in Majnu Ka Tila.

All 10 khoya and cream samples collected at Mori Gate were found non-conforming in State Laboratory testing. Teams also collected two khoya samples from the Bagh Deewar-Sanjay Market area.

At Janakpuri Mandi, inspections covered 10 food businesses. Four of 28 surveillance samples tested through the Food Safety Wheel showed detergent, and officials destroyed around 150kg of paneer and 10kg of khoya as a precaution. The department has been directed to continue intensive checks through the festive season, following an earlier Delhi food-safety drive.