Every Navratri, millions of families change what they eat. Buckwheat flour, sabudana, singhara atta, milk-based sweets and festive foods move rapidly from shops and markets to kitchens. That rush can also create more opportunities for food to be contaminated, poorly stored or consumed after it has lost its freshness.

One may be careful about what they buy, but during the festive season, food safety also depends on how flour is stored, how sweets are handled and how long cooked food is kept. For people who fast, have diabetes or hypertension, or are more vulnerable to foodborne illness, these choices matter even more.

From Navratri to Diwali, a few simple precautions can help you enjoy the festive season without turning food into a health risk.

The scale of the risk

According to WHO estimates, contaminated food makes around 600 million people ill every year and causes 420,000 deaths, with children under five accounting for almost one third of those deaths. WHO's regional data places South-East Asia at more than 150 million cases and 175,000 deaths annually, the highest absolute numbers of any region. A festival calendar that moves millions of families through the same markets in the same fortnight raises these odds.

Fasting foods deserve a closer look

Kuttu atta has become the most visible festive hazard. According to a health ministry surveillance alert, at least 350 people fell sick in Sonipat on the first day of Navratri in 2023. District officials in Bijnor confirmed more than 120 hospitalisations after kuttu meals on day one of a Navratri. In September 2025, Delhi police and hospital officials recorded around 200 people with symptoms after fasting meals in the northwest of the city. In the Ghaziabad cluster, a food safety officer pointed to stale flour sold while demand runs high.

  • Fresh buckwheat flour is a wholesome fasting food. The risk sits in sourcing and storage, and families can manage both.
  • Buy packaged flour from licensed sellers and check the FSSAI licence number, manufacturing date and batch details.
  • Choose flour with an even colour and a nutty aroma.
  • Purchase one to two weeks of stock at a time and keep it in an airtight container in a dry cupboard.
  • Discard flour that smells sour, musty or damp, and report the shop to the district food safety office.
  • Cook rotis and puris fresh and finish them the same day.

Sweets, dairy and the Diwali table

Milk quality decides the quality of khoya, paneer and mithai. In its National Milk Safety and Quality Survey, FSSAI tested 6,432 liquid milk samples across all states and union territories. Twelve samples carried adulterants at unsafe levels, maltodextrin appeared in 156 samples and added sugar in 78, mostly in processed milk. The survey confirms that most milk is safe, and it also shows why label reading and trusted sourcing matter before the sweet boxes come home.

A few habits protect the Diwali table:

  • Choose licensed sweet shops with high turnover so the stock stays fresh.
  • Eat milk-based sweets within a day, and refrigerate them when holding longer.
  • Check the best-before date and seal on every gifted box.
  • Keep raw and cooked food on separate surfaces and wash hands before handling food.
  • Reheat leftovers until steaming hot before serving.

Fasting, feasting and metabolic health

A recent ICMR-INDIAB study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology surveyed 113,043 adults and estimated 101 million Indians with diabetes, 136 million with prediabetes and 315 million with hypertension. A nine-day fast followed by weeks of rich food places a demanding rhythm on blood sugar and blood pressure in this population.

Small choices keep the body steady:

  • Break the fast with water, fruit, curd or nuts before heavier food.
  • Choose roasted makhana, fruit and curd over deep-fried sabudana and potato snacks.
  • Eat sweets after a meal and keep portions small.
  • Keep sendha namak moderate, since it is still salt and still raises blood pressure.
  • Walk for 10 to 15 minutes after meals and drink water through the day.
  • Consult a doctor before fasting if you take insulin or other diabetes medication, since doses often need adjustment.
  • Older adults, pregnant women and children carry higher risk from food poisoning. Persistent vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, dizziness or shivering after a meal calls for a prompt hospital visit and oral rehydration in the meantime.

What policy must deliver

Prevention costs far less than treatment, and four actions can start before the first fast begins:

  1. Inspect flour mills, godowns and wholesale dealers in the two weeks before the festival and publish the results.
  2. Deploy mobile testing labs at markets in high-demand districts.
  3. Strengthen batch traceability for kuttu atta, singhara atta and sabudana so a faulty lot can be pulled within hours.
  4. Promote consumer reporting through FSSAI's Food Safety Connect channels, with visible response timelines.

Festivals bring families together around food, and safe food keeps that tradition healthy. Fresh sourcing, careful storage, balanced portions and quick reporting protect every celebration from Navratri to Diwali.

(By Dr. Sabine Kapasi, CEO at Enira Consulting Pvt Ltd, Founder of ROPAN Healthcare Pvt Ltd, and a UN Advisor)



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