FDA Registration Mandatory For Pune Ganesh Mandals Serving Prasad; Special Teams To Inspect Food During Festival

Pune: Ganesh Mandals in the city that serve prasad, mahaprasad or other food items during the annual Ganeshotsav festival are now required by law to register with the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). The government has implemented this mandatory registration rule and will send special inspection teams to monitor food preparation and hygiene throughout the 10-day celebration.

The FDA has issued detailed guidelines to ensure all food served to devotees is safe and hygienic. Mandals organizing food donation drives or distributing prasad are also included in these new rules.

During the festival, FDA teams will visit Ganesh Mandals to inspect the quality of prasad and mahaprasad, as well as the conditions under which food is prepared and distributed. If unhygienic conditions, dirt or any violations of food safety standards are found during preparation, corrective action will be taken. Ganesh Mandals have the option to register for registration periods of 12 months, three months or specifically for the 10 days of Ganeshotsav. The registration fee for the three-month and 10-day registrations has been set at ₹100.

The Pune division of the FDA has established special teams to oversee food distribution during the entire festival. These officials will personally inspect Ganesh Mandals, checking food quality, cleanliness and hygiene at the distribution sites. They will also verify that food is being prepared according to the specified requirements. The inspections will cover all food items including prasad, mahaprasad and other foods distributed by Mandals throughout the festival.

The FDA aims to protect devotees by ensuring large quantities of food are prepared and distributed in a safe and hygienic manner during Ganeshotsav. Due to the new requirement, some confusion has arisen among Ganesh Mandals regarding registration eligibility and the process. The FDA has clarified that registration is mandatory for all Mandals that serve or distribute food or prasad.

An online registration system exists on the official Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) portal, where Mandals must submit the required information to complete the registration process in a timely manner.