FDA seizes goods worth Rs 12.74 crore in festive drive; suspects expired food put back on sale

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized goods worth a total of Rs 12.74 crore in a drive run across the state during the festive season. This includes banned gutkha, pan masala and flavoured tobacco worth Rs 24.61 lakh in Mumbai, and expired, spoiled or rejected food stock worth Rs 48.09 lakh in Thane district.

In the action, 68 licences or registrations were suspended. In cases involving banned products, 22 FIRs were registered and 20 people were arrested. Seven establishments were ordered shut, while fines totalling Rs 1.30 lakh were recovered from four establishments.

The drive ran in all seven FDA divisions: Mumbai, Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and Amravati. Inspections were carried out under the guidance of FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. They focused on food quality, suspected adulteration, wrong labels, unhygienic conditions and violations of food safety rules.

The FDA carried out a special inspection in Thane and Pune districts. There was suspicion that expired, spoiled or rejected food was being brought back into the market instead of being destroyed. The inspection found 8,392 kg of such stock, with an estimated value of Rs 48.09 lakh.

Officials examined a possible chain of company warehouses, disposal contractors, unauthorised disposal centres, middlemen, suppliers and retailers. According to the FDA, the companies examined could not provide complete and verifiable proof that food stock meant for disposal had actually been destroyed. Five licences have been suspended in these cases and criminal complaints have been filed in the cases concerned. The allegations and the suspected chain are being investigated. The FDA has said a transparent and verifiable disposal system is needed so that food declared unfit for sale does not re-enter the supply chain and reach consumers.

In the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, about 1,97,480 kg of stock worth Rs 4.19 crore was seized from two cold storages in a single day. It included chilli powder, raisins, jaggery and pasteurised butter. The licences of both cold storages were suspended. Across the state, about 3,74,762 kg and 28,297 litres of substandard food, food that may be adulterated or food with wrong labels was seized or destroyed. Its estimated value is Rs 9.11 crore. It included edible oil, spices, dairy products, sweets, farsan, tea, dry fruits and other items.

Banned gutkha, pan masala and flavoured tobacco worth about Rs 3.15 crore was seized along with vehicles. At Manor in Palghar district, a banned consignment was caught in an Eicher truck on October 9. The FDA press release puts the value of this seizure at Rs 1.51 crore, says an FIR was registered at Manor police station and mentions eight accused. In Jalna district, an Eicher vehicle was stopped with police help near Chitali Putali Phata on October 18, and goods worth Rs 83.35 lakh were seized.

In Mumbai, banned goods worth Rs 24.61 lakh were seized between October 13 and 21, and four cases were registered. In the Malad case, the department sought an investigation under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). In the Nashik division, a seizure of Rs 19.40 lakh was made on October 11, one FIR was registered and one person was arrested. At Omerga in Dharashiv district, goods worth Rs 16.07 lakh were seized from an Innova car on October 16 and two people were arrested. The press release gives the Palghar-Manor seizure as Rs 1.51 crore in the case details, but its accompanying description puts the Manor seizure at about Rs 1.30 crore. The department needs to explain this discrepancy.

The inspections found many lapses. Kitchens and drains were dirty, cockroaches and rats were rampant, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food was being stored together, unauthorised food colours were in use and food handlers did not have the required medical certificates. Licences or registrations of 68 establishments were suspended over unhygienic conditions and violations of food safety rules, and seven establishments were told to stop business. Fines totalling Rs 1.30 lakh were recovered from four establishments under Section 69.

Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said demand for food rises during the festive season, so strict action will be taken against food businesses that break safety rules. "There will be no compromise on food safety. Bringing food kept for disposal back into the market is an extremely serious matter. Every food business operator must fulfil its responsibility of providing consumers with safe food as per the prescribed standards.

"Demand for food products rises during the festive season. Inspections of cold storages, warehouses, manufacturing units and food establishments will therefore continue. Strict action will be taken under the law against those who play with citizens' health and those who break the rules," Mundhe said.

The FDA has appealed to citizens to report suspected adulteration in food, unsafe products or other violations. They can call the consumer wing's toll-free helpline 1800 22 2365 or file a complaint online at complaints.mahafda.in. The department also asked people to stay alert and report suspicious food products so that unsafe items do not reach the market.