Surat : Moldy Sweets Found at Kailash Sweet, ₹5,000 Fine

SURAT : A routine purchase of sweets at a reputed Nanpura shop turned into a food safety alarm after white fungus was allegedly found growing on cashew nuts packed inside a box of sweets, raising serious questions over the quality checks being followed at the outlet.

Ward 20 corporator Hinaben Talia reportedly spotted the spoiled and inedible stock at Kailash Sweet while visiting the shop herself. Taking immediate action, she confronted the shop manager and alerted the Surat Municipal Corporation’s Food and Health Department, asking officials to reach the spot.

An SMC Central Zone health team subsequently inspected the shop and its storage area. Officials found the moldy cashew nuts and other allegedly unhealthy food items and destroyed the stock on the spot to prevent it from being sold to customers. The shop owner was also fined ₹5,000 for violating food safety norms.

“This stock was unfit for consumption and had to be destroyed immediately,” officials said during the action.

The incident has also raised questions over enforcement, as the municipal health department had reportedly visited the same shop just two days earlier and collected food samples.

Despite that inspection, the alleged sale of spoiled sweets continued, according to the complaint.

The health team has now collected fresh samples of the suspicious sweets and sent them to a laboratory for examination. Officials said further action would depend on the laboratory findings and could include proceedings under the Food Safety Act.

The episode has once again highlighted the need for strict monitoring of food outlets, particularly as spoiled sweets can pose serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers.