Daltonganj: Food safety officers seized expired burger buns, destroyed packets of noodles and fungus-infested pedas during three consecutive days of raids at food establishments in Daltonganj and Chhaterpur.The raids, launched on Oct 13 after the seizure of mocktails, also covered outlets selling burgers, jalebis and other food items and ended on Friday.A team led by district food safety officer Law Kumar Gupta seized about 110 packets of buns and bread meant for burgers. Gupta said, “The buns had expired, were slightly discoloured and had been kept on shelves for sale to customers who were unaware of their condition.”The team also destroyed 2 kg of noodles which were unfit for consumption. Large quantities of pedas, affected by fungus and moisture, were dumped during the inspections.Gupta said synthetic dyes and colourants, though strictly prohibited, were being used extensively in jalebis. Several vendors criticised the raids, saying they had hit business during the festive season and created an impression that hazardous food was being sold at restaurants and roadside carts.A cart vendor, pleading anonymity, alleged that food safety officials were targeting small sellers while overlooking khaini tobacco units run by established traders.
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