Paneer, khoya, sweets in focus as Delhi steps up food adulteration checks ahead of festive season

As sacks of khoya and paneer arrive in Delhi’s markets and sweet shops stock up for the festive rush, the Delhi Police Crime Branch is stepping up intelligence-gathering on food adulteration.

The watch comes amid a series of food safety seizures and inspections across Delhi. More than 2,800 kg of unsafe and abandoned khoya and butter were found in major markets earlier this month. Ten khoya and cream samples collected from Mori Gate were found to be non-conforming, while four paneer samples from Janakpuri Mandi tested positive for detergent. Around 150 kg of paneer and 10 kg of khoya were subsequently destroyed.

The Food Safety Department also seized 508 kg of spurious paneer at Okhla Sabzi Mandi and destroyed over 131 kg of expired food items, including gram flour, khoya and wheat flour, during inspections of sweet manufacturing units and mandis.