Haryana has ordered intensified food sampling, inspections and enforcement ahead of the festive season, with Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi directing authorities to strengthen surveillance against unsafe and substandard food products as demand and sales are expected to surge across the state.
Chairing a meeting of the State Level Advisory Committee (SLAC) of the Food and Drugs Administration Department, Rastogi reviewed Haryana’s food safety and consumer protection mechanisms and stressed the need for stronger surveillance, scientific testing and enforcement across the food supply chain. He said ensuring safe and quality food could not remain the responsibility of a single department and called for a coordinated, whole-of-government approach.
Sampling to rise during festive season
With the festive season typically witnessing increased production and sale of sweets, dairy products and other food items, Rastogi specifically directed officials to step up sampling and enforcement. The government said coordinated action among departments would be necessary to identify violations quickly and protect consumers.
Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Sumita Misra said Haryana’s strategy was focused on detecting unsafe food faster, strengthening scientific testing, improving field inspections and enforcement and increasing accountability among food business operators.
The government is seeking to strengthen checks across the food chain, covering manufacturing, storage, distribution and retail, with laboratory testing and field inspections forming key components of the enforcement strategy.
265 convictions recorded till August
Officials said enforcement under food safety laws had gathered significant momentum. Convictions increased from 47 in 2023-24 to 111 in 2025-26.
The pace has accelerated sharply in the current financial year, with the department reporting 265 convictions up to August 31, 2026. Penalties amounting to Rs 55.86 lakh were imposed during the period.
During the entire 2025-26 financial year, penalties totalling Rs 2.35 crore were imposed through food safety enforcement proceedings.
The state government said the increase reflected intensified surveillance, sampling, inspections and prosecution of food business operators found violating safety standards.
Analogue paneer banned for a year
The meeting also reviewed Haryana’s action against analogue or non-dairy paneer. Misra said the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of such paneer had been prohibited across the state for one year through a notification issued by the Commissioner of Food Safety.
Analogue paneer generally refers to products made using substitutes for traditional dairy ingredients. The prohibition is aimed at preventing such products from being passed off to consumers as conventional paneer.
Authorities also reviewed directions concerning products marketed using the word “ghee”, including those sold as “Ghee Ka Diya” and “Pooja Ka Ghee”. The government said any product labelled, described, offered or sold as ghee must conform to the prescribed standards applicable to ghee.
The measures are intended to prevent misleading descriptions and ensure consumers receive products meeting the standards associated with commonly understood food names.
45 food safety officers to be recruited
Haryana is also moving to expand its enforcement workforce as inspections and surveillance increase. The process for recruitment to 45 regular posts of Food Safety Officers has been forwarded to the Haryana Public Service Commission.
The additional personnel are expected to strengthen sampling, inspections, investigations and follow-up enforcement across the state.
The government said stronger field-level manpower, combined with scientific testing and tighter monitoring, would help authorities respond more quickly to food safety violations. With festive demand set to rise, officials have been directed to ensure that unsafe and substandard products are identified before reaching consumers and that violations do not go unchecked.