Pune: Ahead of Diwali, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its crackdown on food safety violations, destroying 303 kg of suspected substandard barfi worth Rs1.21 lakh at a sweet shop in Dhanore village of Khed taluka. The action was carried out under the Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra campaign to prevent the sale of unsafe food products during the festive season.
An FDA inspection team visited M/s R Bikaner Mithai, located at Mauli Complex on the Alandi-Markal Road in Dhanore, on Nov 02, 2026. During the inspection, officials found stocks of barfi and kalakand at the shop.
The team observed that the barfi was being stored at room temperature despite being a perishable food item. The sweets also lacked mandatory labelling, while the shop owner failed to produce purchase bills or records for the stock.
Suspecting the barfi to be of substandard quality, officials decided to destroy the entire stock on the spot to prevent potential health risks to consumers. The destroyed quantity was valued at approximately Rs1,21,200.
Meanwhile, officials collected a loose sample of kalakand and sent it to a laboratory for analysis. Further action will be initiated based on the laboratory report.
Food Safety Officer H R Marewar conducted the operation under the guidance of Regional Assistant Commissioner S N Chatte and Joint Commissioner (Food) S Karkale.
The FDA has appealed to sweet manufacturers and retailers to ensure proper temperature-controlled storage of perishable food products, display mandatory labels and maintain purchase bills and other relevant documents.
The department said inspections and enforcement action would continue to ensure the availability of safe and quality food products during the festive season.
