Hoshiarpur (Daljit Ajnoha):- The District Health Officer, Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, along with his team, conducted a raid at Rajesh Bakery, one of the busiest bakeries in Hoshiarpur city. The conditions found during the inspection raised serious concerns among the Health Department officials. Questions have been raised over the hygiene of food items being served at Rajesh Bakery. Patties and kulchas were found lying in dirty trays, proper cleanliness arrangements were not visible, and a lemon drink was being sold for just Rs. 5. The condition of the premises surprised the officials. It was alleged that low-quality ingredients were being used in the lemon drink, which could pose a health risk. The bakery reportedly sells around 2,000 bottles of lemon cumin drink in a day, with each bottle priced at Rs. 5. Food Safety Officers Vivek Kumar, Ram Lubhaya and Gurvinder Shane were also present on the occasion.
Dr. Jatinder Bhatia said that several complaints had been received from people regarding the bakery. During the inspection, it was found that lemon cumin drink prepared with spices of allegedly poor quality was being sold to children for Rs. 5, raising concerns over public health. He said that unhygienic patties, pizza and bread with expired dates were also found at the bakery, along with several other food items that were not being maintained in hygienic conditions.
He said that a sample of the mixture used to prepare the lemon cumin drink was collected. He added that the source of the mixture could not be ascertained because there was no label indicating any company or manufacturing unit on it. A notice was issued to the bakery, and further action will depend on the report of the sample.
Dr. Bhatia further said that the lemon cumin drink had neither an expiry date nor a manufacturing date. The cumin drink was allegedly being filled and sold in branded Capca Cola bottles. He said the owner of Rajesh Bakery admitted that proper cleanliness had not been maintained, apologised to the people and assured that proper cleanliness would be ensured in the future.
