CUTTACK: The samples of paneer and cottage cheese that had been seized and sent for laboratory testing following enforcement raids in Cuttack over a month back, have reportedly been found to be adulterated with starch and detergent, raising food safety concern among the city residents.
As per sources, around 73 quintal of adulterated paneer and cottage cheese had been seized from Niali locality in four phases on August 18, 19, 21 and 22 by the health and food safety wing of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation, and subsequently destroyed.
The samples of the seized paneer and cottage cheese had been collected and sent to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratory (NABL) in Haryana for testing. The test report has been received by state food safety commissioner Poma Tudu.
City health officer Dr Nrupendra Kumar Satapathy said preliminary findings of the report indicated that starch, maida and detergent were used to adulterate the dairy products. “The adulterated paneer and cottage cheese have been found spurious and its consumption can cause public health hazard,” he said.
The reports have been sent to the Cuttack collector, CMC commissioner and city DCP. “Action will be taken against the traders involved in collecting and transporting adulterated paneer and cottage cheese from Niali locality to Cuttack, after direction from the authorities concerned,” Dr Satapathy said.
