Seizure at Garhi Chaukhandi Dairy

Ahead of Raksha Bandhan, the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety Administration seized and destroyed approximately 300 kg of paneer from a dairy in Garhi Chaukhandi, Noida, officials said on Sunday. The action came as part of a broader inspection drive across Gautam Buddh Nagar to ensure the availability of pure, high-quality milk and milk products during the festive season.

A team comprising Food Safety Officers Vishal Gupta and Ritu Saxena inspected the site, where the paneer—supplied from Mewat, Haryana—was seized. After collecting one sample, the remaining paneer was destroyed on the spot as it was deemed unfit for human consumption.

The drive was conducted under the directive of the Commissioner (Food Safety and Drug Administration, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow) and the District Magistrate. Assistant Commissioner Sarvesh Mishra stated that measures are being taken to ensure the public has access to pure, high-quality food.

Broader Inspection Campaign

The seizure was part of a series of inspections carried out across the district in the days leading up to the festival. On the night of August 22, Food Safety Officer Vishal Gupta intercepted a vehicle near the DND Flyover transporting paneer from Kilokhari, Bulandshahr, to Delhi, and collected a sample. The following day, a team led by Food Safety Officer Amar Bahadur Saroj collected a sample of paneer from another dairy at the Sector-88 Noida Mandi.

In another operation, a team comprising Food Safety Officers Mukesh Kumar, Vijay Bahadur Patel, and Ravindra Nath Verma collected samples of paneer and curd from a dairy in Tughalpur, Greater Noida. Additionally, a sample of paneer was collected from a dairy in Knowledge Park-2, which had supplied the product to that particular shop. Food Safety Officer O.P. Singh collected samples of boondi laddoo and khoya from a sweets shop near Yatharth Hospital in Greater Noida.

In total, eight samples of milk products and sweets were collected across various locations in the district and sent to the laboratory for testing.

Additional Seizures and Inspections

According to officials, the campaign also led to the destruction of around 100 kg of rasgullas found in a contaminated condition at a manufacturing unit in Sarfabad, Sector 72. Officials said flies and mosquitoes were found on the rasgullas during the inspection, and a sample was collected for testing.

The inspections extended to checkpoints as well. On the night of August 23, a team of Food Safety Officers inspected vehicles at the Jewar toll plaza and collected a paneer sample from Chaudhary Dairy in Pisawa Jalalpur, Aligarh, which was being transported for supply to Delhi. Two more paneer samples were collected from Bhimsen Dairy in Bajna, Mathura, which was transporting the product for supply across Delhi-NCR.

On August 24, a team led by Amar Bahadur Saroj collected a sample of ghevar from BS Bikaner Sweets in Sector 134. Another team collected samples of khoya and ghevar from the manufacturing unit of Shagun Sweets at Plot No. 66 in Ecotech-2.

Ongoing Efforts

Assistant Commissioner Food-II Sarvesh Mishra said the campaign was conducted on the directions of the Commissioner, Food Safety and Drug Administration, Uttar Pradesh, and the District Magistrate. He added that inspections would continue during the Raksha Bandhan festival, with food samples being collected and tested to ensure that consumers receive safe and quality food meeting prescribed standards.

The operation is ongoing.