UP 12 from family in Bareilly fall ill after consuming 'pinni' sweets FSDA raids dairy

Bareilly (UP), Jul 1 (PTI) Nine women and three children from a family here fell ill after consuming 'pinni' sweets made for a religious offering, officials said on Tuesday.
    All of them were taken to the district hospital with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea on Monday, they said.
    Dr Shailesh Ranjan, Emergency Medical Officer at the hospital said the patients exhibited clear signs of food poisoning.
    "The children are under special observation and all patients are receiving appropriate treatment. Their condition is now stable," he said.
    Shobhit Saxena, a resident of BDA Colony said his mother Vinita Saxena had asked for 'pinni' to be made for a prayer ceremony on Monday.
    "We bought around 1.25 kg of 'mawa' from Gurjar Dairy. The sweets were prepared by 10 am and offered to the women in our family. Within a few hours, they all began showing symptoms," he said.
    By 1 pm, vomiting and diarrhoea had begun and by 6 pm, they were admitted to the district hospital.
    The sweets were made from 'mawa' (evaporated milk solids) bought from Gurjar Dairy in Chauhan Market. Initially, the dairy owner dismissed the concerns, blaming excessive consumption.
    However, as the health of all affected family members worsened, the family approached police.
    Based on the family's complaint, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) team conducted a raid at the dairy. Samples of the 'mawa' were collected and sent to a lab in Lucknow for analysis.
    Authorities also destroyed stored 'mawa' and 'paneer' found at the dairy. Police said they have taken the shop owner into custody for questioning.
    "If the lab confirms adulteration or substandard quality in the samples, strict action will be taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act," an FSDA official said.
    Subhash Nagar police station in-charge Jitendra Singh said that the vendor is being interrogated based on the family's complaint.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)