Leftover Diwali sweets?

Diwali is over and apart from sweet memories and a hole in the pockets, what is left is this pile of sweets and savouries. This exchange of sweets with neighbours and relatives is an essential ritual as it somehow makes the festival seem more complete. But in this aftermath of give and take, the pileup of sweets is pretty cloying once the festivities end.

In what could probably be termed as a ‘first time’ the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has actually put out a report warning people of the expiry dates of various sweets. The guidance is on milk based sweets and the kind of ingredients used in them. FSSI has mandated that it is the responsibility of packaged food manufacturers to clearly mention the date of manufacturing and ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date on the labels.

Here is the list:

This might be a list for the manufacturers but if you have a lot of leftovers, you too pay attention to these dates; it might save a trip to the doctor or prevent you from popping pills to cure stomach upsets.