Buckwheat flour adulteration: raids in Uttarakhand shops

The Uttarakhand government has launched a crackdown on buckwheat flour adulteration after many people fell sick consuming the product. Buckwheat flour is eaten by people fasting for Navratri when grains cannot be consumed for nine days. As demand for flour rises during the festivity, old flour is often sold as new, ignoring its limited shelf life. Adulterators mix different varieties of flour, including those unfit for human consumption, to hide the natural deterioration of the product. Every year people fall sick in different parts of the country after eating adulterated flour. On April 1, the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department launched a massive operation across Uttarakhand, raiding 1500 shops. Over two dozen received notices and large amounts of buckwheat flour were destroyed. A joint investigation committee has also been formed to report cases of people admitted to the hospital due to contamination and provide suggestions on preventing similar incidents in the future. Authorities have appealed to citizens to be cautious in purchasing food products and report suspicious food items.
Additional Commissioner of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department Tajbar Singh Jaggi said shopkeepers selling adulterated flour would be severely punished. The campaign against adulteration will continue in the coming weeks, coinciding with the Chardham Yatra pilgrimages.