The Food Safety Wing of the Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration inspected 100 sweet-manufacturing units and retail outlets across the State on Saturday, the third day of a special drive launched ahead of the festive season.

Officials collected 113 food samples for testing and issued notices to 15 food business operators for violations. The samples have been sent to Government Food Laboratories for analysis to assess their quality and compliance with food safety standards, the department said in a statement.

During inspections on Saturday, officials found deficiencies including unhygienic conditions in food preparation and storage areas, absence of medical certificates for food-handling personnel and labelling defects.

The three-day drive, conducted from Thursday to Saturday under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration) Regulations, 2011, covered 286 sweet-manufacturing units and retail outlets across the State.

During this period, officials collected a total of 383 food samples and sent them for laboratory analysis. Notices were issued to 40 sweet-manufacturing units and food business operators, while two operators were fined a total of ₹7,000. Officials also seized 30 kg of misbranded khova.

The department said inspections would continue at sweet-manufacturing units and retail outlets found violating food safety and quality standards. Legal action would be initiated in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations.