Some prominent brands operating stores in Ludhiana district have come under lens for failed food samples, officials said.According to Food Safety Department officials, laboratory reports of samples collected during special inspections between January and May identified several products as unsafe, substandard and misbranded.A jaggery sample collected from a Reliance store in Mundian Kalan on Chandigarh Road was declared unsafe after detection of fungal contamination, which could pose serious health risks to consumers.District Health Officer Dr Ashish Chawla said consumption of fungus-contaminated food products could have serious health consequences.The reports also flagged paneer samples collected from an eatery in Sahnewal and another food outlet near Fountain Chowk to be unsafe. Additionally, two samples of desi ghee seized from a business establishment near Gill Chowk were also declared unsafe.According to the Food Safety Department, used cooking oil samples collected from a restaurant located in MBD Mall on Ferozepur Road and from Grand Oriental Restaurant failed to meet prescribed standards, and were classified as substandard.Among dairy products, paneer samples collected from Sant Sweets, Bigga Bikaneri Sweets, Siddhi Vinayak Dairy and Jagir Dairy were found to be substandard. Similarly, milk samples collected from Gill Road, Narangwal, Bilaspur and Haibowal failed laboratory testing.In another case, four coffee samples seized from a trader in Dugri were declared misbranded due to deficiencies in labelling and mandatory product information.Dr Chawla added samples linked to Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King had also faced regulatory action in the past.Officials said legal proceedings under the Food Safety and Standards Act will be initiated against all parties associated with unsafe, substandard or misbranded samples.