Karnataka food safety drive flags labelling, hygiene lapses at sweet makers
Karnataka's FSDA inspected sweet units across the state, seizing products and closing outlets over labelling, hygiene, and licensing violations.
The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) conducted a special enforcement drive on Monday, inspecting sweet manufacturing units across the state and uncovering multiple violations, including improper labelling, unhygienic conditions, and the use of unauthorised colours.
Inspections were carried out in Bengaluru Urban and Rural, the Greater Bengaluru Authority area, Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, and Hubballi-Dharwad. The drive follows recent checks on hotels and restaurants as part of the department's broader food safety efforts.
FSDA Commissioner K. Srinivas said officials found expired products, misleading labels, poor storage, and unhygienic handling at several establishments. Many products also lacked mandatory declarations such as the manufacturer's name, batch number, and date of manufacture.
Several popular outlets faced action. Asha Sweets in Yeshwanthpur saw around 49 kg of tea powder, 20 kg of khova/kalakand, and 2.5 kg of pistachios seized as suspected food products. Bikaner Sweets on Magadi Road was temporarily closed, as were Maharaja Sweets in Kalaburagi and Swagath Sweets in Mangaluru, the latter for operating without a food licence.
Large quantities were seized at other units. Lal Sweets Pvt. Ltd. had about 60 kg of products taken for missing labelling, with officials also noting fly infestation. At Mithai Factory in Bengaluru, officials seized 14 packets of chikki, five litres of expired Nandini curd, and 19 packets of improperly labelled chocolate decorations.
In Mysuru, Word of Mysore Pack had 367 kg of savouries, 4 kg of cocoa powder, 4.5 kg of cracked cocoa beans, and 6 kg of khova seized, valued at ₹1.56 lakh. Balaji Milk Khova in Bengaluru saw 400 kg of khova products, worth ₹77,500, seized for missing label declarations.
Other units inspected included Sandesh Sweets, India Sweets, and Venkateshwara Sweets in Bengaluru; Triveni Bakery and Mita Bharat in Hubballi; Kalyani Sweets, A1 Kunda, and A1 Purohit in Belagavi; and Popular Bakery in Puttur. Notices were issued to several of these establishments. At A1 Purohit, 10 kg of expired chocolate flavouring was seized and 5 kg of rasgulla disposed of. Sandesh Sweets had four samples sent for lab analysis.
The Commissioner said further legal action would be taken against operators found violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.