Mumbai: Less than six months into the job, Commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Tukaram Mundhe has made inspections, suspensions, and the public naming of violators routine. In an exclusive conversation with ‘The Free Press Journal’ the 2005-batch IAS official said his aim is to not suspend licenses but keep unsafe food away from the children, infants, and senior citizens. Excerpts...
What are you doing to keep festive-season food safe?
Two months ago, I issued a standing festive-season order, year-long and religion-neutral, instead of a separate order for every festival. During festivals, demand and supply rise, and so does the chance of sub-standard food. Between September 1 and November 3, we conducted over 9,000 inspections, suspended more than 957 licenses, and cancelled more than 25. In the last 15 days alone, over 1,800 metric tons of food were seized. The aim is not to suspend licenses. It is to keep unsafe, mis-branded food away from children, infants, and senior citizens.
What are you finding most often?
Added colours in sweets. Most people do not know they are not allowed in prepared food. You may have noticed some sweets looking paler this season. We are also acting against syndicates that re-pack and re-brand expired products and re-route them into the food chain, including big names.
What is your advice to consumers and businesses?
Consumers, don’t buy something just because it is cheaper or unpacked. Buy from licensed vendors and check the dates. If something is wrong, complain on our portal or toll-free number. Businesses, use standard raw material and follow the rules. If citizens and the FDA both lose faith in you, you have nothing left. Some think I have only a few officers, but all of Maharashtra’s 13 crore people are vigilant officers.
How does the complaints portal work?
The portal https://complaints.mahafda.in/ has been live since July 15. You register once with your mobile number, then type or record a voice note in English, Marathi or Hindi, add the location, and submit. You get a number to track progress. It is time-bound: the complaint is assigned using AI, and the officer must read it within 48 hours and resolve it within 14 days. Otherwise, it escalates, and the system issues a notice to the defaulting officer. We have received over 17,000 complaints, and more than 75 per cent were resolved on time.
What comes next?
An end-to-end portal for the whole department. The blueprint is ready, and once the government approves it, we can build it in six to eight months. Every vendor will be on it, people can rate restaurants, and AI and data analytics will power a food intelligence unit. It will be a first of its kind unit in the country.
What changed in last six months since you took over?
We set a mission: safe food, safe drugs, safe Maharashtra. The strategy has three Es. First, empowerment: officers know I will protect them if their actions are genuine and transparent, and we keep everything public, with press notes, photos, and violators’ names. Second, enabling citizens and businesses can reach us through technology without visiting offices. Third, enforcement: we issued sector-wise compliance orders for milk, spices, edible oils and more, the first state to do so. In five months, we have done over 25,000 food inspections, when the annual number never crossed 20,000. Improvement notices are near 15,000, against a few hundred earlier.
And on the drug side?
The same intensity. We have taken more than 2,600 enforcement actions, including over 2,000 pharmacy suspensions and about 500 manufacturer suspensions. We have also started process audits. Of 400-plus units, over 150 lacked GMP licenses and were suspended. Every licensee is equal to me, branded or not.
People crowd around you for selfies and photographs. Do you enjoy the stardom?
I am a responsible public servant. I must deliver the role I am given and deliver it effectively. I am grateful for the appreciation, but every individual is a star in his own way. My advice: choose the right path, shun the wrong one, and let us make this a better place.
As collector of Jalna, you tackled drought. What did you learn?
My job was to give people water, not tankers. You have to tackle the root cause, not the symptom. Through water conservation, we cut tanker demand from almost 700 to 30 in a year, and later to zero. This year there are drought-like conditions again. Compartment bunding holds rain in the soil and raises the water table, and cropping patterns should suit the water available. My appeal to corporates is to direct CSR funds to water conservation.
Twenty-five transfers in 21 years. Is this your most satisfying posting?
It is the most impactful because food and medicine touch everyone. Tackling food safety helps agriculture and makes people healthier and more productive.
Finally, what is your favourite festive sweet?
We should cut down on sugar. There was one my mother used to make that I loved. She passed away this year, so we aren’t celebrating this time.
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