Festival Special: Inside Maharashtra FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe's first-of-a-kind plan to curb food adulteration

Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe, has unveiled a groundbreaking four-phase plan to tackle food adulteration during the upcoming religious and cultural festivals in India. The new standing order aims to standardize enforcement across all regions and celebrations, eliminating the need for individual festival-specific regulations.

This comprehensive initiative will focus on high-risk foods such as sweets, paneer, ghee, dry fruits, mutton, and chicken, which are in high demand during the festivities and are more likely to be adulterated or unsafe.

The Maharashtra FDA Commissioner outlined a calendar that categorizes festivals into four risk levels, with Ganeshotsav, Navratri, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, and New Year's Eve deemed high-risk. Surveillance efforts will be implemented in four phases, targeting inspections of meat, bakery items, ice, and packaged drinking water during high-risk events like Eid, Ramadan, and Christmas. Targeted raids may also be conducted to curb illegal chemical ripening of fruits during Akshaya Tritiya.

Additionally, the FDA Commissioner emphasized that mass distribution events, such as 'bhandaras' and 'langars,' will be monitored to ensure compliance with food security laws. The new order represents the first of its kind in India, setting definitions for all aspects of the enforcement framework to prevent any untoward incidents during the festivities and apply uniformly to all religions and geographies.