Quality Results Only After the Feast? AMC Food Department Collects 55 Fafda-Jalebi Samples Ahead of Dussehra, Reports Expected Weeks Later
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Ahmedabad: Tens of thousands of Amdavadis will tuck into their traditional Dussehra feast of fafda and jalebi on Tuesday without knowing if the oil or ghee used is adulterated or safe. Ahead of the festival, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Food Department inspected over 80 sweet and farsan shops across the city on Sunday, collecting 55 food samples for laboratory testing. However, with lab test results taking 10 to 15 days to process, the quality of the festive snacks will only be known long after citizens have consumed them.
Dussehra in Ahmedabad sees huge queues outside sweet and snack outlets, alongside hundreds of temporary stalls set up on footpaths, roadside corners, and outside residential societies. While the scale of consumption is massive, civic authorities face severe criticism over the delayed testing process, which leaves consumers exposed to unsafe food during the peak festival rush.
Delayed Lab Reports Render Pre-Festival Inspection Ineffective
Civic health experts and consumer advocacy groups point out that taking samples right before Dussehra serves little practical purpose if laboratory reports are delayed by two weeks. By the time test results flag poor-quality oil, adulterated ghee, or substandard flour, the batches would have been completely sold and consumed, making immediate enforcement or bans impossible.
Key facts from the AMC Food Department drive:
- Shops Inspected: Over 80 farsan and sweet shops checked across Ahmedabad on Sunday.
- Samples Collected: 55 food samples sent to the public health laboratory.
- Report Timeline: Results will take 10 to 15 days to come back from the lab.
- Inspection Focus: Quality of cooking oil used for frying fafda and ghee for jalebi.
On-the-Spot Checks Urged for Raw Materials as Fafda Frying Begins Monday Night
Preparation and sales of fafda and jalebi traditionally ramp up by Monday night and continue through Dussehra day. Public health advocates argue that the AMC must deploy quick-testing mobile units to check raw materials—particularly recycled cooking oil and commercial ghee—directly at frying counters and temporary pandals.
Without rapid testing kits capable of delivering same-day results, the exercise remains a procedural formality rather than an effective safeguard for public health.
