CM Rekha Gupta oversees Delhi raid ahead of Diwali, 7,000 kg of khoya destroyed

What goes into your Diwali sweets may be the last thing on your mind when you walk into a mithai shop. But a major food safety operation at Delhi's Mori Gate Khoya Market has raised an uncomfortable question about what could be reaching festive kitchens and sweet counters.

The Delhi Government's Food Safety Department seized and destroyed approximately 7,000 kg of unhygienic, foul-smelling khoya during a raid on November 3. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the market as officials carried out the operation, part of an intensified campaign against food adulteration ahead of Diwali.

According to the Chief Minister's Office, Gupta reviewed the inspection and directed officials to ensure that the suspected material did not enter the food supply chain. The latest seizure takes the quantity of khoya destroyed by the department during its festive-season operations to 10,660 kg.

Mori Gate khoya raid: 35 of 44 samples fail preliminary food safety tests

The scale of the seizure was not the only concern. During the operation, officials collected 44 surveillance samples from the market and tested them using the department's mobile 'Food Safety on Wheels' facility. Thirty-five samples failed the preliminary on-the-spot tests.

Two additional samples were also collected and sent to a laboratory for detailed examination. Preliminary testing raised concerns about the possible presence or use of milk powder, vanaspati and substances used as binding agents in the suspected material. Laboratory analysis will be needed to establish exactly what the samples contain and whether they violate food safety standards.

The distinction is important: a failed preliminary test flags a product for further scrutiny; it is not, by itself, a final laboratory finding of adulteration. The department's detailed examination will help establish the nature of the suspected ingredients.

Delhi food adulteration crackdown: Fourth operation at Mori Gate market

This was the department's fourth operation at Mori Gate Khoya Market. The latest action follows three earlier seizures: 2,830 kg of khoya was destroyed on September 4, another 610 kg on September 8, and 520 kg on October 23.

Together with the approximately 7,000 kg destroyed on November 3, the department says it has disposed of 10,660 kg of unhygienic khoya in its ongoing campaign.

The repeated operations point to the challenge facing food inspectors during the festive rush, when demand for sweets and traditional milk-based products rises sharply. Khoya, also known as mawa, is a key ingredient in several popular Indian sweets and is particularly vulnerable to poor handling, contamination and adulteration.

Rekha Gupta warns food adulterators ahead of Diwali

Gupta congratulated the Food Safety Department team and asked officials to continue inspections with the same urgency. The Chief Minister said public health would remain a priority and warned that those found involved in food adulteration would face action, regardless of their influence.

For consumers, the raid is a reminder to pay attention to the quality and source of festive food purchases. The government has said its objective is not merely to seize suspicious products but to prevent unsafe food from reaching the market in the first place.

With Diwali bringing a surge in demand for mithai, the question now is whether sustained inspections and laboratory testing can keep unsafe ingredients out of the supply chain.

(With inputs from ANI)