5 Diwali Sweets that May be Adulterated
Indians
all over the globe are gearing up to celebrate Diwali tomorrow. It's the season
when gifts are exchanged and families and friends bond over delicious meals. No
Diwali spread is ever complete without a variety of traditional sweets and
mithai. All of us have been guilty, at some point or the other, of
over-indulging in Diwali-ki-mithai; be it motichoor
ke ladoo or the simple khoya barfi, kaju katli, pista barfi and so much more.
Thanks to the festivities in the air, these become irresistible and before you
realise it, you've polished off more than you would have liked! Most
mithai shops are now loaded with Diwali sweets, these fly off the shelves as
customer after customer walks out with kilos of mithai. However, do spend a few
minutes mulling over what goes into the making of these traditional sweets; how
are they actually made in bulk to meet the increasing demand and what is the
quality of ingredients used? Increasing demand could often lead to some shops
compromising on the quality through adulteration.
According to Ms. Anju
Majeed, Senior Scientist and Director at Sami Labs, "Adulteration of
sweets and adding artificial colors to make them more attractive has become a
major health concern in the recent days. During Diwali the demand for these
sweets goes up and this may increase the chances of your favorite
sweets being adulterated with substandard flour, or low-grade fat, or oil. And
there are equally high chances of you facing an increased health risk if you
consume these sweets, which may range from diarrhea and vomiting to food
poisoning."
1. Khoye
ki Barfi
Most mithais that are
consumed during festivities are made with khoya and it makes for one of the
most adulterated foods that is used to prepare sweets. It is believed that some
unscrupulous sellers may add wheat or rice flour (starch) to increase the
quantity. So even if you are making a mithai with khoya, be careful and check
for its purity.
2.
Motichoor Ladoo
According to Dr. Saurabh
Arora, Director of Auriga research and Arbro Pharmaceuticals, "most
consumers buy sweets and savouries that give an impression of great taste. This
is why vendors use bright and sometimes non-permitted colours of sweets and
savouries. These vendors use artificial colours because they are less
expensive, more stable and long lasting and give the product an appealing
bright colour." Motichoor ladoo is one such mithai that must only be
bought from reliable sellers this festive season.
3. Kaju
Katli
Kaju katli has silver
varq on it which adds to the appeal of this popular traditional mithai. According to
Indian regulations, silver must be 99.9 percent pure if it is used as a food
ingredient. However, considering the expensive metal that silver is, it may
turn out that vendors use aluminium foils that only look like sliver
varq. Therefore, it is good to make kaju katli at home in order to save
yourself from the harmful effects of these fake substances.
4. Kaju
Pista Roll
If you think you are
eating sweets made using real pista and cashews, you should probably think
again. Not real nuts, what ends up being used mostly
are artificial or synthetic flavours. Pistas and cashew nuts
are expensive nuts, so this is done to cut costs and make the mithai last
longer.
5. Paneer
Barfi
The paneer that is used
to make the barfi could have excessive corn starch in place of milk extract. In
some cases, harmful chemicals and urea are also mixed in it. Therefore, it is
imperative to take any paneer mithai from a trusted source or just make it at
home.
While these are just a
few mithais that are known to be highly adulterated, there are many others that
are flooding the markets. Health experts suggest either switching to homemade
sweets that don't need dairy products or just choose to eat alternatives like
chocolates and nuts. Be careful of what you buy next and always buy your share
of Diwali sweets from trusted vendors and seller.
Stay healthy and enjoy!
Happy Diwali!
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