Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 16 : Ahead of the Diwali festival, a team of food safety officers in Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal on Thursday seized around two quintals of mawa from a local shop on suspicion of adulteration. Officials said that samples have been sent for laboratory testing, and further action will be taken based on the report.
The mawa, estimated to be worth approximately Rs 60,000, was seized from a shop named Devendra Mawa Bhandar located in the old Bhopal area. Further action would be initiated after the lab report, the officer added.
While speaking to ANI, Bhopal District Food Safety Officer, Arunesh Kumar Patel said, "Following the instructions of senior officials, we are continuously taking action in view of the festive season. We have received information about Mawa's arrival from somewhere in the old Bhopal area. Acting on it, we reached out to our team at Devendra Mawa Bhandar and found around 2 quintals of Mawa here. On the suspicion of impurities, we have seized 2 quintals of Mawa worth Rs 60,000 and sent its sample to the lab for examination. Further action would be taken after the arrival of the lab report."
The Officer added that the lab report would arrive soon. Samples were being received from various districts across the state for testing, and it would take some time, but they were trying to get the report out as soon as possible.
Patel also informed that a Mobile Food Testing Laboratory is currently operational at the divisional level, conducting immediate testing of around 25 samples daily.
"In the last two weeks, over 100 samples from the Bhopal district have been collected and sent for examination. We have also seized 19 quintals of mawa, worth between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, along with some quantities of paneer. Action will follow once the reports are received," he said.
If the samples are found to be substandard, penalties of up to Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment are also prescribed under the law, he added.
Meanwhile, shop owner Devendra Kumar Jain told ANI that the mawa had been seized, and the officials assured him that the test report would be available within two days.
"Around 2 quintals of Mawa were seized by the food department. The officer assured him that the testing report would be received within two days, and if the material was found to be up to standard, it would be returned immediately. We have been in this business for the last 25 years, and our product has never failed or been found substandard."