Ludhiana, Oct. 9 -- In a major crackdown on food adulteration amid the festive season, the food safety team of the city health department seized large quantities of suspected adulterated jaggery, sugar, and shakkar during a district-wide inspection and sampling drive conducted on Wednesday evening. The operation focused on food items in high demand during the festive season. The raids spanned areas including Ferozepur road, Mullanpur, Sudhar, and Jagraon. During the inspection, the team collected 15 food samples for testing, including sweets with silver leaf (vark), milk cake, coriander, black pepper (kalimirch), red chilli powder (lal mirch), jaggery (gur), sugar, shakkar, paneer, and ghee. These samples have been sent to check compliance with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) norms. A significant seizure was made at a jaggery manufacturing unit in Tajpur village, where the team confiscated 1,037 kg of jaggery, 1,160 kg of sugar, and 500 kg of shakkar. The seized materials have been taken into custody for further investigation. Officials said that appropriate legal action will be initiated based on laboratory test results. Civil surgeon Dr. Ramandeep Kaur reiterated the department's commitment to ensuring food safety during the festive period. She urged all food business operators to maintain strict hygiene standards, use quality raw materials, and ensure their FSSAI food safety licenses are visibly displayed at their establishments. Earlier this week, the department also seized 150 litres of adulterated ghee and 189 kg of paneer during similar raids....