Uttar Pradesh has implemented a new regulation mandating that 'Use by Date' be displayed on all loose sweets sold in sweet shops, a move designed to enhance food safety and empower consumers with crucial information regarding product freshness and shelf life. This initiative addresses a gap where only packaged sweets were previously required to carry such information, while the shelf life of loose sweets can vary significantly. Concurrently, the state's food safety authorities have cracked down on milk processing units found using banned chemicals like ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, industrial solvents posing severe health risks such as kidney failure and metabolic acidosis. The department is promoting the use of safer alternatives like propylene glycol in dairy processing to mitigate these dangers and ensure consumer well-being.

Uttar Pradesh has implemented a new regulation mandating that 'Use by Date' be displayed on all loose sweets sold in sweet shops, a move designed to enhance food safety and empower consumers with crucial information regarding product freshness and shelf life. This initiative addresses a gap where only packaged sweets were previously required to carry such information, while the shelf life of loose sweets can vary significantly. Concurrently, the state's food safety authorities have cracked down on milk processing units found using banned chemicals like ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, industrial solvents posing severe health risks such as kidney failure and metabolic acidosis. The department is promoting the use of safer alternatives like propylene glycol in dairy processing to mitigate these dangers and ensure consumer well-being.

Uttar Pradesh has implemented a new regulation mandating that 'Use by Date' be displayed on all loose sweets sold in sweet shops, a move designed to enhance food safety and empower consumers with crucial information regarding product freshness and shelf life. This initiative addresses a gap where only packaged sweets were previously required to carry such information, while the shelf life of loose sweets can vary significantly. Concurrently, the state's food safety authorities have cracked down on milk processing units found using banned chemicals like ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, industrial solvents posing severe health risks such as kidney failure and metabolic acidosis. The department is promoting the use of safer alternatives like propylene glycol in dairy processing to mitigate these dangers and ensure consumer well-being.

Those tasty sweets displayed loose behind the glass counter at a chaat or sweet shop have an expiry date, and in India, food safety regulations explicitly mandate that shop owners display it. But not many states follow the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). But Uttar Pradesh has now made 'Use by Date' mandatory for such sweets.    

Starting October 15, the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has mandated that 'Use by Date' be displayed on all sweet shops across the state.

According to the department, inspections carried out at sweet manufacturing and retail outlets have revealed that there have been instances where consumers are not provided with clear information regarding the date of manufacture and the expiry date of the sweets. 

Consequently, consumers are unable to make informed decisions about the freshness and shelf life of the sweets they purchase. 

The shelf life of sweets varies based on their nature and type, said Dr Roshan Jacob, Commissioner of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, in the order. 

The shelf life for different sweets can range from 1-30 days. Over time, the quality, taste, and freshness of sweets are affected.

While packaged sweets must bear an expiry or 'Use by Date,' no mandatory provision previously applied to loose sweets sold over the counter.

Though UP has banned ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol in dairy processing, FSDA inspections uncovered their presence at several milk units. Officials found establishments using the banned substances as coolants during pasteurisation and refrigeration. 

According to the department, these chemicals pose serious health risks if they contaminate food products. The ban was imposed due to the risk of these substances mixing with milk in the event of a leak in processing equipment.

The department said that propylene glycol could be used as an alternative, a substance already utilised by many milk processing units, the statement added.

Ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG) are industrial solvents and antifreeze agents, not food additives. When ingested—whether through accidental chemical contamination, improper storage near food-grade ingredients, or fraudulent adulteration—they pose severe, life-threatening health risks.

What are the key health risks involved? 

1. Severe toxic kidney failure: The liver breaks down EG into oxalic acid, which combines with calcium in the bloodstream to form sharp calcium oxalate crystals. These crystals deposit directly in the renal tubules, blocking urine flow and causing rapid, irreversible kidney damage.

DEG metabolites cause direct chemical necrosis (cell death) of the kidney's filtration units (proximal tubules). This causes anuria (complete inability to pass urine), fluid retention, and systemic uremic poisoning within 24 to 72 hours.

2. Severe Metabolic Acidosis: Within hours of consuming contaminated sweets, the liver converts EG and DEG into acidic metabolites (such as glycolic acid and 2-hydroxyethoxyacetic acid). This causes a dangerous drop in blood pH (severe high anion gap metabolic acidosis), leading to:

3. Neurological damage: Initially, a person who eats sweets contaminated with EG or DEG may appear intoxicated or unwell. Early warning signs include nausea, dizziness, confusion and so on. Severe signs include brain swelling, seizures and loss of consciousness. 

4. Cardiopulmonary failure: As toxic metabolites accumulate, patients often develop rapid heart rates, dangerous arrhythmias, fluid buildup in the lungs (pulmonary oedema), and heart failure—typically occurring 12 to 36 hours after ingestion.

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