Food-safety and enforcement teams inspect khaja preparation units; unhygienically prepared products destroyed and penalties imposed
GTNS, SEPTEMBER 17, 2026, PURI — A joint enforcement operation was carried out at several khaja shops, godowns and manufacturing units in Puri on Thursday, following complaints and information regarding the quality and hygienic conditions in which the traditional sweet was being prepared and sold.
The inspection focused particularly on establishments in and around the Sri Mandir area, including locations such as Sri Krishna Cinema Lane, Bada Danda and Swargadwar, according to reports on the operation.
The enforcement drive brought together officials from the Food Safety Department, civil supplies/consumer enforcement machinery, municipality and police. Puri City DSP Rashmi Ranjan Mahapatra said information had been received about khaja manufacturing units allegedly preparing the popular sweet under unhygienic conditions, prompting the joint action.
During the inspections, food-safety officials identified khaja that had been prepared or stored under conditions considered unsuitable for consumption. The identified products were handed over to the municipal authorities for destruction. Penalties were also imposed on shopkeepers found violating applicable requirements.
The inspection teams also examined issues relating to food quality, possible adulteration, weighing practices, packaging and food-safety licensing, particularly amid complaints concerning the sale of poor-quality khaja to devotees and visitors.
A further aspect of the operation involved the seizure of domestic LPG cylinders found during the enforcement exercise. Officials said the cylinders were taken for verification by the concerned authorities.
The action assumes particular significance in Puri, where khaja is closely associated with the city’s religious and tourism economy and is widely purchased by devotees visiting Sri Jagannath Temple.
The enforcement drive sends a clear message that food businesses operating in the pilgrimage city are expected to maintain prescribed standards of hygiene, licensing, preparation and consumer protection.
Officials indicated that inspections and enforcement action would proceed wherever violations are detected.
The latest action also places renewed focus on the responsibility of food businesses to ensure that traditional food products reaching devotees and tourists are prepared, handled and sold in conditions consistent with food-safety requirements.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) provides mechanisms for consumers to lodge food-safety complaints and verify food-business licence information.
KEY DETAILS
- Location: Puri, particularly areas around Sri Jagannath Temple
- Date: September 17, 2026
- Target: Khaja shops, godowns and manufacturing units
- Action: Inspection and enforcement drive
- Concern: Hygiene, food quality, licensing, packaging and weighing practices
- Unhygienic khaja: Identified and sent for destruction
- Penalties: Imposed on violators
- Domestic LPG cylinders: Seized for verification
- Police official quoted: Puri City DSP Rashmi Ranjan Mahapatra
- Departments involved: Food Safety, civil supplies/enforcement, municipality and police
Global Times News | GTNS