FSDA festival crackdown: Over ₹62 lakh worth of adulterated food seized in Lucknow
FSDA Lucknow seized ₹62 lakh of adulterated food before Diwali, shutting down a synthetic khoya unit and destroying 12,200 kg of unsafe items.
In a sweeping enforcement campaign ahead of Diwali and Bhai Dooj, the FSDA Lucknow has seized suspected adulterated food items worth ₹62 lakh.
In over 200 targeted raids, FSDA officials confiscated and later destroyed 12,200 kg of unsafe consumables, including paneer, khoya, vanaspati ghee, edible oil, sweets, and besan, valued at more than ₹22 lakh. During this period, 165 samples were collected for laboratory analysis. This seizure is double that of last year said assistant commissioner FSDA, Lucknow, VP Singh.
Synthetic khoya unit busted, owner arrested
One of the most significant breakthroughs came with the detection and shutdown of a synthetic khoya manufacturing unit in Para, Lucknow. The unit’s owner, Deepak alias Golu Shukla, was arrested after FSDA filed an FIR for food adulteration.
According to officials, the unit was producing counterfeit khoya using a dangerous mix of skimmed milk powder, maize starch, vanaspati ghee, and unidentified white powder—suspected to be detergent or talcum powder—to replicate the texture and colour of real khoya.
Statewide operation
As of October 16, statewide enforcement by FSDA has led to the seizure of over 3,394 quintals (3.39 lakh kg) of adulterated food products, valued at ₹4.76 crore. Out of this, 1,463 quintals ( ₹2.34 crore) worth of unsafe food has already been destroyed.
Major operations were reported from districts such as Mathura, Aligarh, Budaun, Ghazipur, Bulandshahr, Prayagraj, Sambhal, Kanpur, and Saharanpur.
In Mathura, four FIRs were filed against dairies found using adulterants, and six licenses were suspended.
In Aligarh, over 19,000 kg of adulterated food was destroyed, and another 4,188 kg was seized for testing.
Similar enforcement actions were reported across several districts, targeting spurious sweets, milk, paneer, ghee, and edible oils.
FSDA secretary Roshan Jacob emphasised that the campaign is focused on organised adulteration networks, particularly in supplier regions like Mathura and Agra, which cater to Delhi-NCR markets.
