The Uttar Pradesh Food Department has launched a sweeping pre-festival crackdown on food adulteration across Ghaziabad and Noida, destroying over 10 quintals of Chhena Rasgulla and collecting multiple samples for laboratory testing. The raids, carried out on 25 August, targeted suspected use of banned chemicals in dairy-based sweets ahead of a season when demand for such products surges.

Ghaziabad Raid: Chemical Whitener Found at Sachin Chhena Store

A Food Department team raided Sachin Chhena Store in Bhim Nagar, Ghaziabad — falling under the Crossing Republic police station area — on Monday evening. Officials found a substantial quantity of prepared Chhena Rasgulla on the premises and determined the quality to be substandard, leading to the destruction of nearly 10 quintals of the product on the spot.

The store is owned by Uday Singh, a resident of Sarvodaya Nagar. During the inspection, officials found that sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate — a chemical that functions as both a bleaching agent and preservative — was allegedly being used to whiten paneer by mashing it with starch.

Food Department official Suresh Kumar Mishra said: 'We have collected samples and are sending them for testing. They are using a chemical called sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate to whiten the paneer by mashing it with starch, which acts as a preservative as well as a bleaching agent. Due to the presence of these chemicals, all these food items are being destroyed. We will initiate the process of suspending their license.'

The team collected four samples from the premises — prepared rasgulla, arrowroot, paneer, and cefolite — for laboratory examination. Final punitive action against the firm will depend on the laboratory findings.

What Officials Said About the Crackdown

Mishra confirmed that the department has stepped up inspections on the instructions of Food Safety and Drug Administration Director Dr Roshan Jacob. 'On the instructions of Food Safety and Drug Administration Director Dr Roshan Jacob, action is being taken against adulterated food items. So far, we have taken action against several food items, including Chhena and Paneer. We received a complaint that a large quantity of Chhena Rasgulla was being manufactured at these premises,' he said.

The department is also examining whether the use of cefolite and sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate at the Ghaziabad unit was in compliance with food safety regulations.

Noida Raid: Flies Found Around Contaminated Rasgullas

In a separate operation in Noida's Sarfabad, Sector 72, a Food Department team raided a rasgulla manufacturing unit where officials reportedly found flies and mosquitoes around contaminated rasgullas. Approximately 100 kilograms of rasgullas were destroyed during the action.

As part of the wider inspection drive across the region, the department collected a total of seven food samples. These included three paneer samples from the Jewar toll plaza, a sample of ghevar from Sector 134, and a sample of khoya-ghevar from Ecotech-2.

Earlier Action in Bhojpur, Modinagar

The current drive is part of a broader pattern. Last week, the Food Department had also conducted a raid in Bhojpur near Modinagar, where officials seized large quantities of suspected paneer, mawa, and other food products. This is the latest in a series of pre-festival enforcement actions the department has undertaken across western Uttar Pradesh.

Why This Matters Ahead of the Festive Season

Demand for sweets, paneer, khoya, and other dairy-based products rises sharply during the festive season, making the period a high-risk window for adulteration. Officials said the intensified inspections are specifically aimed at preventing unsafe food products from reaching consumers at a time of peak consumption. The department's findings — particularly the alleged use of industrial-grade chemicals in everyday sweets — raise serious public health concerns that go beyond individual vendors.

With laboratory results still pending, the scale of enforcement action against the implicated establishments is expected to become clearer in the coming days.