Maharashtra FDA's Major Food Safety Crackdown: ₹25 Lakh Goods Seized, 5 Licences Suspended

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized banned items and milk and dairy products worth o Rs 25 lakh and suspended the licences of five hotels and restaurants for violations, officials said on Wednesday.

An official release said that the agency inspected 31 hotels, restaurants, roadside eateries and other food establishments on Tuesday, following which 22 were issued improvement notices and licences of five establishments were suspended.

The action against banned products covered gutkha, pan masala, flavoured supari and other prohibited items. The FDA said stock worth Rs 11.40 lakh was seized in eight establishments across the Mumbai, Konkan, Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions. Ten persons were arrested, and eight FIRs were registered, while six establishments were sealed, it said.

The FDA also seized around 14,552 kg of other food products, including milk and milk products, bakery products and other items, valued at about Rs 13.90 lakh, according to the release. Samples were collected in some cases and sent to authorised laboratories for analysis, it said.

Establishments Face Licence Suspension

Among the establishments facing licence suspension was Hotel Radha in Malad (West), Mumbai, where officials found serious hygiene and food safety deficiencies, including live rodents in the kitchen and poor drainage and sanitation, the release said. The FDA said the establishment’s food business licence was suspended under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The FDA also suspended the licence of an establishment operating at Saraswati College of Engineering in Kharghar after finding deficiencies related to food safety, hygiene and pest-control measures.

The department said action was also taken against Janata Tawa and Grill in Kurla, where serious food safety lapses were discovered.

During another inspection, FDA officials found the sale of expired food products and unhygienic conditions at Parmeshthi Super Shoppe near Devagiri Hospital in Vaijapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. Action was initiated against the food business operator.

The FDA, headed by senior IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe, said the statewide action was being carried out under the “Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra” campaign to ensure compliance with food safety and hygiene standards.

It urged food business operators to maintain proper storage conditions, temperature control, cleanliness and pest-control measures, warning that violations would invite action under the Food Safety and Standards Act and relevant rules.

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