Maharashtra FDA’s 100-Day Drive Targets Tainted Food With 12,000 Raids And 875 Arrests
FDA’s 100-day drive targets tainted food across Maharashtra.
Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its statewide enforcement drive since Tukaram Mundhe took charge as commissioner on May 25, conducting 12,083 inspections over 109 days. The campaign has resulted in 5,269 improvement notices being issued and 603 licences being suspended for violations of food safety and regulatory requirements.
The enforcement action has also led to the seizure of illegal and tainted food stocks valued at Rs 67.2 crore, highlighting the scale of violations detected during inspections. Authorities have stepped up checks across food establishments and other locations as part of efforts to strengthen compliance and protect consumers from unsafe and adulterated products.
The drive has resulted in 875 arrests, with inspections of hotels, restaurants and other eateries uncovering several serious food safety violations. These included cockroach infestations, instances of raw chicken cross-contamination and breaches of cold-chain requirements, prompting regulatory action against establishments found to be in violation of prescribed standards.
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The FDA has also intensified enforcement against banned tobacco products. Following the statewide ban imposed on July 13, officials seized prohibited gutkha and pan masala worth Rs 19.62 crore. The seizures formed part of the wider campaign targeting the sale and distribution of prohibited products across Maharashtra.
Alongside inspections and enforcement measures, the department has sought to increase public participation in food safety monitoring. It has launched a multilingual, artificial intelligence-enabled grievance portal through which citizens can submit complaints related to food safety. The platform is intended to help officials route and track complaints more efficiently.
The latest figures underline the scale of the FDA's enforcement campaign since Tukaram assumed charge, with inspections, licence suspensions, seizures and arrests forming key components of the drive. The department said the exercise was aimed at strengthening regulatory compliance and protecting consumers from unsafe, adulterated and prohibited food products across the state.
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