Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown on adulterated food products, the food safety officials seized around 50 quintals of adulterated paneer in Odisha’s Cuttack city on Wednesday. This is the second major seizure reported in the Silver City within two days.

The seizure comes at a time when demand for paneer and other dairy products is expected to rise sharply ahead of Raksha Purnima. The food safety team suspects that large quantities of adulterated paneer may be entering the market to meet the increased demand during the festive season.

The food safety officials of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) have also written to the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) regarding the seizure and the suspected source of the adulterated paneer.

According to officials, the paneer seized by the team was reportedly sourced from Niali area of the Cuttack district. Following the information, the CMC food safety team has taken up the matter with the district health authorities and sought necessary action.

The latest seizure follows the recovery of 60 kg of adulterated paneer on Tuesday. With fresh seizure, the officials are expected to conduct further inspections and take action against those involved in the manufacture, transportation and distribution of adulterated paneer in the market.

The Utkal Milk Products Traders’ Association, meanwhile, expressed concern over the seizure of huge quantity of adulterated paneer in Cuttack and urged the state government to take stern action against the unscrupulous shopkeepers.

“Some dishonest traders are selling adulterated dairy products to people. These traders have no affiliation with the Utkal Milk Products Traders’ Association. Our association always tries to maintain high standard in dairy products. We urge the state government to initiate stern action against the individuals involved in the production and sale of adulterated paneer in Cuttack,” said the association secretary Pradeep Behera.