FDA suspends 43 licences, seizes food worth Rs 63.09 lakh in pre-Diwali drive across Maharashtra

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra has suspended the licences and registrations of 43 food businesses under its ongoing Diwali food safety campaign across the state. About 17,824 kg of food items worth Rs 63.09 lakh were also seized.

The action was carried out on Friday and Saturday. The FDA inspected 73 establishments in the Brihanmumbai, Konkan, Nashik, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and Amravati divisions. The department also recovered a fine of Rs 70,000 in five cases under Section 69 of the Food Safety and Standards Act.

The seized goods include khoya, mawa, paneer, sweets, farsan, dry fruits and edible oils. According to the FDA, the goods were seized because of suspected sub-standard quality, unhygienic conditions and other violations of food safety rules.

Of the 43 licences and registrations suspended, the highest number, 18, are in the Nagpur division. Nashik had nine suspensions and Brihanmumbai five. Three establishments each were hit in Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Amravati, while action was taken against two in the Konkan division.

In Brihanmumbai, the FDA suspended the registration certificates of Gupta Chana Mart in Lalbaug and Jain Provision Stores in Malabar Hill. The licences of The Orient Club in Chowpatty, Misti Bela & Co in Walkeshwar and Amar Sweetmeat Mart in Ghodapdev were also suspended. Separately, Shree Ram Sweet and Farsan on Mathuradas Road in Kandivali West was shut down and its stock seized.

The nine licences suspended in the Nashik division include establishments in Dhule, Nandurbar, Nashik and Jalgaon districts.

On seizures, the FDA took about 17,824 kg of goods from 29 establishments and vehicles. By weight, the largest seizure was in the Konkan division, where 13,970.9 kg worth Rs 54.52 lakh was seized. This included 4,193 kg of mawa, khoya, sweet kunda and special barfi worth Rs 8.92 lakh from P. Brijwasi Mawa Barfiwala in Vasai East, and 1,300 kg of loose kaju katli worth Rs 15.86 lakh from Mahalaxmi Sweet and Farsan Mart in Bhayandar East.

In the Pune division, 3,142 kg worth Rs 5.66 lakh was seized. In the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, 652 kg worth Rs 2.33 lakh was seized, and in the Amravati division 36.5 kg worth Rs 13,140. The department said perishable goods considered dangerous to public health were destroyed on the spot in the presence of witnesses.

In Palghar district, FDA officials seized a total of 3,935 kg of khoya and sweets from two vehicles stopped on the highway. A passenger bus stopped on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway (NH-8) was carrying 371 kg of sweet halwa and sweet mawa worth Rs 99,400. The second vehicle, stopped at the Charoti toll plaza on NH-48 in Dahanu, held 3,564 kg of khoya, sweet halwa and other traditional sweets worth Rs 9.85 lakh. According to the FDA, the goods in the second vehicle were unlabelled, were being transported at the wrong temperature and were suspected to be unsafe for consumption.

Officials found several lapses during the inspections. Production and storage areas were unclean, windows had no mesh, pest control was inadequate, and records for the Food Safety Management System (FSMS) and FoSTaC had not been maintained. At some establishments, water test reports, medical fitness certificates of food handlers and purchase bills were also missing. The department took 10 samples for testing.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said that ensuring people get safe, good-quality food during Diwali is the department's priority. He said action would be taken against businesses that violate food safety rules, regardless of their size or brand.

Consumers can lodge food safety complaints on the FDA's toll-free number 18002223365 or on the Food and Drug Grievance portal.