Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Over 12,000 inspections, 5,200 improvement notices, suspension of over 600 licences, arrests of 875 people, seizures of food stocks worth Rs 67.2 crore, and counting. The crackdown by Tukaram Mundhe, commissioner of Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), against defaulting food business operators (FBOs) has shaken up the sector over the past three months.
According to FDA data, from June to August-end, 1,803 hotels, restaurants and clubs in the state have been inspected by food safety officials; 948 have been issued improvement notices and 199 licences suspended. In the milk and dairy products sector, 9,485 inspections were undertaken, 4,321 improvement notices issued, 2,766 samples tested, stocks worth Rs 5.4 crore seized and 404 licences suspended.
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The FDA also seized Rs 19.62 crore worth stocks of banned substances, such as pan masala and gutkha, filed 644 FIRs and arrested 867 persons. Other food products, such as edible oils, mangoes, sweets, khoya, bakery goods, candy, jaggery, ghee, dates, ice cream, kulfi, frozen desserts, spices, betel nut and toddy, worth Rs 42.17 crore, were seized in 696 raids.
Compared to just 1,453 complaints received by the FDA in 2025-26, a much higher 9,764 were received through its portal and toll-free helpline between June 1 and August 31 this year. In the previous financial year, of the 1,453 complaints received, 1,317 were disposed of. In comparison, from June to August-end this year, 6,109 of the 9,764 complaints were disposed of, and 3,655 were pending.
Officials said the inspections had thrown up massive violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, such as the lack of clean water and drainage facilities, serious cold-chain breaches and improper refrigerator temperatures, large-scale cockroach infestations, unhygienic practices by food handlers, gaps in medical check-ups and training of staff, poor and unclean structural condition of premises, and serious cross-contamination risks like raw chicken being stored in open containers and cut vegetables left unsealed.
Some establishments whose licences were suspended include Caf Mondegar at Colaba in Mumbai, Noor Mohammadi, Ayub’s, Poornima, K Rustom & Co Ice Cream and Parsi Dairy Farm; clubs patronised by the rich and powerful, such as the Cricket Club of India and Mumbai Cricket Association; and popular brands like Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut. Many of these FBOs have restarted operations after ensuring the necessary compliances.
Under the watch of Munde, a 2005 batch IAS officer, the FDA has also served notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff for their alleged surrogate advertisement for a pan masala brand. The FDA has banned the sale of junk food in school canteens and in a 50-metre radius of schools.
The FDA also banned sale of analogue paneer. Mundhe’s enforcement has even covered canteens at Mantralaya, the state administrative headquarters in Mumbai, and the Bombay High Court. After the high court questioned whether the FDA had inspected canteens in government and semi-government institutions, its officials visited high court canteens. Of the three canteens in the high court premises, one was found to be operating without a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence. It was asked to stop operations while the other two were issued improvement notices.
The Pune region tops in inspections (4,261) and improvement notices (1,321), followed by Konkan (3,142 and 975, respectively) and Mumbai (1,451 and 972). The highest number of suspensions (168) are in Pune, followed by Mumbai (121) and Konkan (108). In stock seizures, other food items (worth Rs 42.17 crore) top the list followed by prohibited items like gutkha (Rs 19.62 crore) and milk and dairy products (Rs 5.4 crore).
“We are not only inspecting food establishments, [but] we are building a culture of accountability that will outlast any single drive. Public health is non-negotiable, and Maharashtra’s FDA will ensure it stays that way,” said Mundhe in a statement.
A senior FDA official said that while Mundhe’s blitzkrieg after taking charge in May-end and the resulting public awareness had seen a rise in complaints, they were woefully short-staffed to address them. Also, an inspection of an establishment and collection of food samples may take around three to four hours.
“In Mumbai alone, we have been getting about 50 complaints daily, of which just around 20 may be actionable,” the official noted, adding that some of these complaints may be frivolous and meant to settle personal scores.
Maharashtra has around 1.25 million registered FBO licences, but the FDA has just around 350 food safety officials to ensure oversight on them. In Mumbai, which has around 100,000 licencees, the FDA has just 45 officers, which is however up from just five last year. The FDA has proposed the recruitment of another 700 food safety inspectors.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA