Ranchi: Food safety officials on Thursday seized and destroyed over 800kg of suspected adulterated paneer and khowa from a sweet shop on Ratu Road, exposing what authorities believe is a long-running supply of substandard milk products in the city.A team, led by Ranchi food safety officer (FSO) (Zone I) Manoj Kumar, acting on a tip-off, conducted a raid at the establishment and recovered the suspected adulterated dairy products from the premises.FSO Kumar said the shop owner had allegedly been selling adulterated milk products for a considerable period.“During questioning, the seller disclosed that the paneer and khowa were sourced from neighbouring Bihar and West Bengal before being brought to Ranchi for sale. Preliminary investigation revealed that paneer and other items had starch adulteration. The seized products were transported to the Jhiri dump yard and destroyed on Thursday to prevent them from entering the consumer market,” he said.The shop owner was served a show-cause notice for alleged violations of food safety norms. “Samples of the seized paneer and khowa have been collected and sent to a laboratory for analysis. Further action will be initiated based on the test reports,” Kumar said.He added that the department would intensify inspections and raids across Ranchi to curb the sale of adulterated food products, particularly dairy items, and ensure strict enforcement of food safety regulations.
Sleuths inspect items at a sweet shop in Ratu on Thursday
