Surat sees 13-fold spike in fake, substandard food

Surat: Famed for its legendary street food and die-hard gastronomes, Surat is increasingly finding adulteration on its plate. The health department of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) seized over 13 times more adulterated, substandard and fake food products in 2025 compared to the previous year.
The sharp spike in seizures was attributed to intensified raids carried out jointly by the civic body's food safety department and the police.While SMC seized unsafe ghee, paneer, cheese and other food products worth Rs 14.23 lakh in 2024, the seizures jumped to Rs 1.96 crore in 2025. In terms of quantity, the civic body seized 4,860 kg of unhealthy food products in 2024, which surged to 75,356 kg in 2025.Officials said many of these products were being manufactured using raw materials other than milk and were being sold as genuine milk-based items. Such adulterated products were widely supplied to eateries, where they were used in large quantities daily."Our drives continue throughout the year, and testing is done at outlets selected randomly or based on specific complaints. The teams conduct overall checks of outlets on various parameters along with food testing," said an official from the food safety department.SMC has deployed one team of food safety officers in each of the nine zones to carry out checks of food outlets during the day. Recently, the department also began conducting drives during night hours, as many outlets begin operations late at night. Each team comprises three food safety officers.During inspections, teams check hygiene conditions in and around the outlet and verify whether proper waste disposal arrangements are in place. They also examine food items and collect samples if any product appears suspicious. In addition, teams verify the legal documents required for operating the outlet.In the case of restaurants, officials also collect health certificates of employees working at the establishment.Samples collected during raids are sent for testing at the SMC laboratory. If the food is found unfit for human consumption, the outlet is penalised by the municipal court, officials said.