Red Flags to Watch For When Buying Sweets Outside

Buying sweets is an emotion — especially in India. Whether it’s a festival, a family gathering, or a simple craving, we trust sweet shops to give us fresh, hygienic, and authentic products.But unfortunately, not every shop maintains the standards they claim.

To protect your health and ensure you get value for your money, here are the biggest red flags to watch out for when buying sweets outside.

1. Sweets Look Too Shiny or Too Bright

If a sweet looks unnaturally glossy, overly colourful, or too perfect — be alert.

Why It’s a Red Flag

• Excessive food colours

• Chemical polish for shine

• Artificial flavours to enhance appearance

• Low-quality ghee replaced with vanaspati to get a uniform look

What to Do

Choose sweets with natural tones. Traditional sweets made with ghee, jaggery, and millets have warm, earthy colors, not neon shades.

2. No Smell of Ghee or Natural Aroma

Good quality sweets have a natural fragrance of:

• Ghee

• Jaggery/Karupatti

• Cardamom

• Millet flours

If you don’t smell anything — or worse, it smells synthetic — that’s a danger sign.

Red Flags

❌ Odd chemical smell

❌ Strong artificial flavour

❌ Rancid oil smell

Always take a moment to check the aroma before purchasing.

3. The Shop Displays Sweets in Open Air

Many roadside shops or small outlets keep sweets uncovered.

Problems:

• Attracts flies

• Dust and pollution settle on the sweets

• Exposure to sunlight

• Moisture contamination

Food kept uncovered is unsafe, no matter how attractive it seems.

4. Sweets That Are Too Hard or Too Soft

Texture reveals the truth.

Warning Signs:

• Barfis that are too firm → old stock

• Laddus falling apart → poor binding or stale ghee

• Milk sweets getting watery → starting to spoil

• Fried sweets turning chewy → reused oil

Fresh sweets have a natural, stable texture — not extreme.

5. No Mention of Ingredients or FSSAI Details

Every reliable sweet shop must mention:

✔ Ingredients

✔ Shelf life

✔ FSSAI number

✔ Manufacturing date

If the shop avoids giving these details, it's a major red flag.

Shops that use cheap ingredients like:

• Vanaspati instead of ghee

• Artificial flavours

• Synthetic sweeteners

• Refined sugar in huge quantities…usually avoid transparency.

6. Reused or Smelly Oil

Especially in sweets like:

• Jalebi

• Balushahi

• Jamun

• Mixture

• Chips

Reused oil becomes dark, sticky, and has a burnt smell.

Indicators:

• Sweets look too dark

• Oily smell is strong

• Aftertaste is bitter

Fresh oil gives a light, clean flavour — nothing overpowering.

7. Prices That Are “Too Good to Be True”

Quality ingredients like:

• Pure cow ghee

• Farm-fresh milk

• Millet flours

• Jaggery and karupatti

…are costly.So if a shop sells sweets at unbelievably low prices, they are likely compromising on ingredients.

Cheap sweets often include:

• Vanaspati

• Low-grade sugar

• Chemical preservatives

• Colours and essences

Good sweets need good ingredients. Period.

8. Unhygienic Preparation Area

If you can see the kitchen or preparation area, observe:

❌ Dirty vessels

❌ Uncovered dough

❌ Workers without gloves or caps

❌ Water buckets near food

❌ Oil spilled everywhere

Hygiene is the foundation of safe food. Even the best ingredients become unsafe in unhygienic environments.

9. Sweets Displayed for Too Long

Fresh sweets never stay on shelves for days.

Red flags:

• Milk sweets with cracks

• Syrup sweets losing shine

• Laddus drying out

• Sweets with sugar crystallizing

• Strong smell of stale ghee

Ask the staff when it was made. If they can’t answer, do not buy.

10. No Millet or Healthy Options

Healthy sweet shops today offer:

• Millet laddus

• Karupatti-based sweets

• Jaggery burfi

• Palm jaggery mysurpak

If a shop offers only refined sugar sweets, it may indicate they haven’t updated to healthy, natural practices.

Shops like Nalla Mittai avoid:

• Maida

• White sugar

• Palm oiland focus on nutritious ingredients like millets — a strong sign of quality.

Conclusion

Buying sweets should bring joy — not worries.By watching out for these red flags, you can make safer, healthier choices for your family.

✔ Check colour

✔ Smell the aroma

✔ Inspect texture

✔ Ensure hygiene

✔ Verify ingredients and FSSAI

✔ Trust shops that use natural, traditional methods

When you choose quality, you protect your health and support genuine sweet makers.