Maharashtra FDA Warns Against Fake Agents Seeking Money For Food & Drug Licences

Mumbai: Amid its aggressive crackdown on food safety violators across Maharashtra, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public advisory warning citizens against fraudulent agents who claim to secure food and drug licences by misusing the names of FDA officials and demanding money from applicants.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe clarified on Thursday that the department has not appointed any agent, intermediary or private organisation to process or obtain food and drug licences. He urged applicants to use the official online licensing system themselves and report any demand for bribes immediately.

The advisory comes as the FDA has intensified inspections and enforcement against unhygienic food establishments, suspending and cancelling licences of several restaurants, cloud kitchens and food businesses in recent weeks for violations of food safety norms.

According to the FDA, the entire process of applying for and obtaining food and drug licences is completely online, eliminating the need for middlemen. Applicants can directly submit their applications and upload the required documents through the official portals — fdamfg.maharashtra.gov.in for drug licences and foscos.fssai.gov.in for food business licences.

The department said it has received information that some individuals are falsely presenting themselves as authorised FDA representatives and promising faster approvals in exchange for money. Such claims are fraudulent, it said.

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“If any third party or person using the name of an FDA officer demands money for processing a licence application, citizens should immediately file a complaint with the Commissionerate. The identity of the complainant will be kept strictly confidential,” Mundhe said.

The FDA has appealed to food business operators, drug manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and all prospective licence applicants to rely only on the official online system and avoid dealing with unauthorised agents.

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