New Delhi, Feb 26 (NationPress) With the festive season in full swing and Holi approaching, the Food Safety Department of the Delhi government has launched a comprehensive enforcement initiative. During this operation, a total of 66 food samples were collected, which included paneer, khoya, and various pulses, as confirmed by an official on Thursday.

Delhi's Health Minister, Pankaj Kumar Singh, stated that the primary focus of this initiative is on systematic food sampling and the prevention of food adulteration.

"The health and safety of the citizens in Delhi is our utmost priority under the leadership of Rekha Gupta. We will maintain a strict stance against food adulteration. Our teams are diligently inspecting markets, production facilities, and border entry points to guarantee that only safe and high-quality food is available to the public," added the Minister.

According to an official statement, the special operation yielded a total of 66 food samples, split into 54 surveillance samples and 12 legal samples, to ensure adherence to established food safety regulations and to initiate legal measures when necessary.

In terms of food categories, the collected samples include: 16 samples from prepared foods (nine surveillance and seven legal); 18 samples from salts, spices, soups, sauces, salads, and protein products (17 surveillance and one legal); 17 samples from cereals and related products, including pulses and grains (13 surveillance and four legal); 11 surveillance samples from fats, oils, and emulsions; and four surveillance samples from dairy products and similar items (excluding specified sub-categories).

Special attention has been directed toward pulses and related cereal products due to their increased consumption during this festive time, the official stated.

Inspection teams have been assigned to key khoya and paneer markets to verify the quality and safety of dairy products.

Samples were taken, and strict actions have been initiated wherever violations were detected.

The Health Minister has urged officials to extend their inspections beyond just the markets.

He specifically instructed the department to conduct thorough checks in densely populated regions where khoya and paneer are produced and distributed locally.

Monitoring of production units in residential areas is also being prioritized, according to the Minister.

In addition, Minister Singh has ordered heightened surveillance at Delhi's border areas and nearby regions from which paneer and khoya are transported into the city.

Entry points are being meticulously examined to prevent the influx of adulterated food products into Delhi, he noted.