Prioritise Reputable and Licensed Sellers
Your first line of defence is choosing the right shop. Food safety officials recommend buying from established, reputable sellers with a clean and hygienic environment. Every food business, big or small, must have a Food Safety and Standards Authority
of India (FSSAI) license or registration number, which should be prominently displayed. The absence of this 14-digit number is a major red flag. During festive rushes, pop-up stalls are common, but inspectors advise sticking to trusted vendors known for their quality. Inspections often reveal that well-maintained shops are more likely to adhere to hygiene standards, such as keeping sweets properly covered and ensuring staff wear gloves and head caps.
Check for Manufacturing and 'Best Before' Dates
One of the most significant rules introduced by FSSAI is the mandatory display of 'Best Before' dates for non-packaged or loose sweets. When you're at the counter, look for this information on the tray or container. This date indicates how long the mithai remains suitable for consumption. If you don't see a date, you should ask the seller directly. The shelf life of mithai varies greatly depending on its ingredients; for instance, milk-based sweets like khoya barfi have a much shorter shelf life than dry fruit-based laddoos. This simple check helps you avoid stale products that may have been prepared long in advance of the festival.
Use Your Senses: Look, Smell, and Touch
Your senses are powerful tools in detecting adulteration. Visually inspect the mithai. Avoid sweets with unnaturally bright or neon colours, as these may contain non-permitted or excessive industrial dyes like Tartrazine or Metanil Yellow, which can be harmful. Fresh, high-quality mithai should have an appealing, natural colour. A fresh sweet should also have a pleasant, characteristic aroma. For example, good quality khoya should smell mildly of cooked milk. Any sour, stale, or unusual odour is a clear sign of spoilage. If possible, check the texture. Pure khoya should feel grainy and slightly oily when rubbed on your palm, whereas adulterated versions often feel pasty or dry.
Be Wary of Common Adulterants
During the festive season, the high demand for key ingredients like khoya (mawa), ghee, and milk leads to widespread adulteration. Khoya is frequently bulked up with starch, flour, or even blotting paper. A simple test you can do at home is to dissolve a small piece of khoya in hot water and add a drop of iodine solution. If it turns blue, it has been adulterated with starch. Ghee is another common target, often mixed with cheaper vegetable oils (vanaspati) or mashed potatoes. Prices that seem too good to be true are often an indicator of low-quality or adulterated ingredients.
Inspect the Silver Leaf (Vark)
The delicate silver foil, or 'vark', that adorns many popular sweets like Kaju Katli and barfis is a common point of adulteration. FSSAI permits only pure silver leaf for consumption. However, some sellers substitute it with cheaper and toxic aluminium foil. You can easily test this. Gently rub the vark between your fingers. Real silver is extremely delicate and will disintegrate or vanish into your skin. Fake aluminium foil, on the other hand, will not disintegrate and will instead roll up into a tiny, solid ball. Consuming aluminium can be harmful, so this is a crucial check.
