Skip to content
REFRIGERATION

Food storage

How to store milk-based mithai (barfi, peda, kalakand)

Milk-based sweets such as barfi, peda, kalakand, milk cake and sandesh are made from khoya, chhena, condensed milk or reduced milk. Sugar slows bacteria somewhat, but these sweets are still moist and rich in milk protein, so they spoil at warm temperatures. Mould, sourness and off-flavours develop quickly in Indian summers, and soft sweets such as kalakand and sandesh go first. Store milk sweets at 0 to +4 °C, in closed containers or chilled displays, and sell them within the period your food-safety plan sets. Chilled storage also keeps sweets firm and presentable on the counter. Labelling and stock rotation become especially important during festivals, when production runs far ahead of sale.

  • Chilled0 to +4 °C

Do

  • Cool freshly made sweets on clean trays before chilling, and cover them once cool.
  • Display milk sweets in a closed, refrigerated showcase, not on open trays.
  • Store different sweets separately to avoid flavour transfer.
  • Label trays with the item and date of making.
  • Box sweets for customers from chilled stock and advise them to refrigerate.
  • Keep a written record of production dates during festival periods.
  • Use silver leaf (varak) from reputable suppliers and apply it hygienically.

Avoid

  • Do not stack sweets from different days on the same tray.
  • Do not display milk sweets in open trays in a hot shop.
  • Do not reuse unsold sweets as an ingredient in new batches without a defined plan.
  • Do not sell sweets with surface mould, sour smell or sticky slime.

In Indian conditions

Sweet shops in India make huge volumes of milk sweets before Diwali, Holi, Raksha Bandhan and weddings. Food-safety officials often increase sampling during festival seasons, and FSSAI has required loose sweets to carry a best-before date on display trays; check current requirements. Many sweet shops still display milk sweets in open trays at ambient temperatures, which is risky in summer and monsoon. A refrigerated showcase protects sweets and reassures customers. During long power cuts, move the most perishable items into reach-in storage.

General good practice for commercial kitchens and shops. Where your FSSAI licence conditions or food-safety plan set stricter limits, follow those.