Ranchi: Even a fortnight after district food safety cell issued an order asking retailers of non-packaged and loose sweets to display the manufacturing best to use by date, many prominent sweetmeat retailers in city are yet to comply with the new protocols.
The order was issued by the Ranchi district food safety cell after they were directed by FSSAI, New Delhi, the apex licensing authority for food safety and standards in country, on September 25, 2020, to ask all sweets retailers to ensure food safety for public interest.
TOI visited several shops across the city and found that just about 40% of are complying with the norms while most others, including prominent and renowned names in the sweets and savouries business, still do not display manufacturing as well as best before dates on their products.
At Uday Misthan Bhandar, a famous sweet shop near Lalpur Chowk, none of the sweet trays displayed on Saturday had any dates mentioned on them. Punjab Sweet House on Main Road and Jalajoga at Albert Ekka Chowk too were not following the new rules. The manager at Uday Misthan Bhandar said that they will start displaying the relevant dates once they receive instructions from their proprietors.
On the contrary, a few sweet shops have also complied with the rules as Rajasthan Kalewalaya, a sweet shop chain in city has displayed the dates at all its outlets in Lalpur, Kutchery and Kanke Road. Rasik Lal Sweets in Hinoo too was also found to have complied with the orders.
Ranchi food safety officer S S Kullu said they have already written to shop owners about the norms and have also started field visits on a daily basis since October 1. “We have warned shop owners that they will be penalised as per provisions if they are found flouting the norms. Till now we have completed inspection of shops at Hinoo Chowk, Birsa Chowk, Dhurwa and Harmu Road and our teams are working to cover the entire city at the earliest,” said Kullu.
A meeting in this regard was also conducted by Ranchi SDM Sameera S with representatives of Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries as well as with representatives of sweet shops in state capital a week ago to apprise them about the order.