Ludhiana: Ice cream eating has become a scary thing for residents of Punjab's Ludhiana as a series of recent reports point to unhygienic methods in the ice cream-making factories there.
Panic spread across Sundar Nagar in Ludhiana when the neighbourhood was told that a dead lizard was found in a Kulfi ice cream bought by a seven-year-old boy. When the boy complained to his grandmother, she, along with several others, went and questioned the street vendor who sold the ice cream. Subsequently, the residents of Sundar Nagar complained to the health department.
The health department raided the ice cream factories and issued challans to the factories' owners. District Health Officer Amarjit Kaur said, "The health department got information about the case, following which they inspected the factory in Shimlapuri." Kaur sent her team to several factories and issued challans, and sent some samples for clinical testing for further investigation. Kaur said, "Action has been taken as per the law. The health department appeals to the people to check the brand and expiry date before eating any food from outside." She warned the ice cream factory owners not to sell such food due to their greed, which can harm anyone.
Reportedly, the video showing a lizard being found in the ice cream went viral on social media platforms, sending shockwaves across the district.
This is one of several such instances of unhygienic ice creams being found by the Ludhiana people. In May, when the health department officials raided an ice cream unit in Ludhiana's Hambran industrial area, it was found that the food products were being made under appalling conditions surrounded by waste materials, pests and houseflies.
