Sweet shops paying no heed to best before date rule

Aurangabad, Oct 23:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had made it mandatory to mention the best before date on sweets when selling them in open form. However, the orders have remained only on papers. The district collector had warned of stern action if found floating the norms, but sweet shops are paying no heed to the warning.

Considering increasing adulteration in sweets during the festive season and lack of information about the number of days the sweets can be used, the FSSAI made it mandatory for vendors to display the best before the date in front of the trays of sweets when selling sweets from October 1. Shockingly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken no action in the last 23 days, sources said. The department even does not have any information on how many confectioners there are in the city. Except for a few shops in the city, many are selling sweets without mentioning the details. Shops in markets like Gulmandi, Garkheda, TV Center, Avishkar Chowk, Mukundwadi, Chikalthana and Beed Bypass are openly floating the norms.

What the rules say

Following the order of the FSSAI, vendors are required to display the best before date sign in front of sweet trays when selling open sweets. While it is not mandatory to include the date of production of the confectionery, it has also been clarified that confectioners can voluntarily give this information to the customers.

Ignoring the health of citizens

During Dussehra, Diwali, khoya and sweets are in great demand. Eating stale sweets often leads to food poisoning. The decision was made to avoid such incidents. The FDA said all confectionery vendors had been notified, action will be taken against shops not following the rules.