Bhubaneswar, Nov. 8 -- As people celebrate Diwali today by sharing sweets with family and friends, food safety inspections that were conducted across Odisha ahead of the festival raised concerns over the quality of sweets sold in the market. Raids in Bhubaneswar, Balasore, Cuttack and Berhampur uncovered stale and adulterated sweets, along with unhygienic conditions at several outlets.

The inspections were carried out to ensure that consumers could buy safe food items during the festive season, when demand for sweets rises sharply.

People purchase sweets in large quantities for their families, friends and relatives, while companies also buy gift packets for employees. However, findings during the raids showed that some shops were not fo...