Now, North Dinajpur sweet shops to display expiry date

Raiganj: Rasogolla, jalbhara sandesh, chhanar payesh and laddoos — they may be all-time favourites but with the mercury soaring, the consumers have the right to know about the shelf life of these delicacies.

Henceforth all varieties of sweets in the North Dinajpur sweet shops will display the manufacturing and expiry dates. North Dinajpur sweet sellers have taken this decision unanimously to ensure that the sweets are not sold beyond the stipulated shelf life. Debabrata Kundu, Secretary of North Dinajpur Sweet Sellers Association said: “This decision was taken in our seventh annual meeting at Raiganj on Friday.”

It does not need any mention that this is a time when all the traditional food, including sweets, is facing challenges from popular fast food like pizza, burgers, rolls or momos. However, Bengali sweets remain a must-eat, especially during festivals or celebrations.

The North Dinajpur district has a large variety of sweets to offer. Ashish Ghosh, a sweet seller from Raiganj said: “The sale of sweets is rapidly declining as young people like fast food. Many are health conscious and avoid sweets. Elderly people especially avoid sweets due to fear of an increase in blood glucose levels.”

One of the main factors for the decline is the lack of hygiene maintained in the sweet production process. Sometimes stale sweets are also sold. Kundu said: “Customers

should also check this information before buying sweets to avoid any health hazards.”

The sweet lovers of the district have welcomed this step taken by the Sweet Seller Association. Sudeshna Maitra, a housewife from Islampur said: “If purity and hygiene are maintained in production, Bengali sweets will always remain unparalleled.”

In September 2020, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order making it mandatory for sweet shops in the country to declare the expiry date or “best before date” of all sweets available in the shops from October 1, 2020.