&imwidth=896&imheight=504&format=webp&quality=medium "VIDEO: Delhi CM leads food safety crackdown, seizes nearly 7,000 Kg of suspected fake Paneer, Khoya")
The Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government has seized nearly 7,000 kg of suspected adulterated paneer and khoya in a major crackdown ahead of Diwali 2026. The move is part of increasing food safety checks in order to prevent the sale of unsafe food products in the run-up to the festive season. The crackdown comes as demand for paneer, khoya and other dairy products increases during the festive season, especially in Diwali.
A video of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also surfaced on social media, inspecting the seized products. The visual shows her throwing away the suspected fake paneer and directing officials who accompanied her to step up inspections and take stringent action against those involved in food adulteration.
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Directive issued for food safety officials
In response, officials have also directed food safety officials to step up inspections and maintain stricter oversight of market products to shield consumers from adulterated food. The move comes as food adulteration continues to be a persistent issue across Indian cities, with inspections and laboratory testing repeatedly uncovering substandard and unsafe items.
The concern intensifies during the festive season, when demand surges for milk-based items like paneer, khoya, ghee and sweets. According to data the Union government presented in Parliament, out of 1,70,535 food samples tested nationwide in 2024-25, 34,388 failed to meet prescribed standards. These figures span multiple food categories and are not restricted to dairy products alone.
In April 2025, food safety officials in Noida and Greater Noida discovered that 83 per cent of the paneer samples failed to meet quality standards, with 40 per cent of the samples declared unsafe for consumption. Similarly, in Ahmedabad, the civic body's health department found eight of the 10 paneer samples unsafe between January and mid-April 2025. Recently, ahead of Holi in February 2026, authorities seized and destroyed 1,200 kg of suspected adulterated paneer in Ghaziabad and 900 kg of unhygienic khoya found in Kanpur.
