Health officials have asked people to be careful while buying sweets during the festive season due to an increase in cases of food adulteration.

“Though we regularly inspect sweets and other manufacturing units to check adulteration, there are some things that people can also keep in mind while shopping,” said Amarjeet Kaur, District Health Officer (DHO).

She asked to avoid colorful sweets altogether or make sure the manufacturer uses colors approved by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

“Colours have hardly any meaning. They only add to the appearance of the product. Some manufacturers use colors that can be harmful to us. So it is very important to ensure that the colors used are FDA approved, she added.

The local health department has been conducting regular sweet spot inspections this month, during which quintals of candy, bakery and dairy products have been destroyed or seized. According to Kaur, over 100 samples have been collected.

One of the problems health officials discovered during the inspections was the use of harmful aluminum foil instead of silver foil as a coating on candy.

DHO provided a method of checking the foil coating in place by rubbing it between the fingers.

“Take a piece of foil between your fingers and rub it. If it disappears, it’s silver foil, and if it turns into a ball, it’s aluminum foil,” she explained.

She also recommended buying covered items after checking the hygiene quality of the stores to ensure that the items are not contaminated by pollutants and flies.

“People can report the problems to us and we will take timely action,” she added.