Maharashtra FDA Seizes Suspected Food Stock Worth ₹9.76 Crore During Ganeshotsav Safety Drive

During the recent Ganeshotsav festival, Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a safety drive that led to the seizure of 6.34 lakh kg of potentially unsafe food items worth Rs 9.76 crore. The campaign involved 3,068 inspections, collection of 2,423 samples, suspension of 248 licenses, and cancellation of 12 licenses.

The Maharashtra FDA also issued 1,506 improvement notices and filed 455 cases under the Food Safety and Standards Act, with 398 cases resolved and penalties totaling Rs 53.60 lakh recovered.

The drive focused on food vendors selling sweets, khoa, dairy products, ghee, edible oil, and fasting foods, which experience increased demand during festivals. Nashik recorded the highest seizure, with 4.42 lakh kg of suspected food worth Rs 6.23 crore. In Mumbai, officials conducted 325 inspections, issued 226 improvement notices, suspended 53 licenses, and cancelled one, seizing 4,203.55 kg of suspect stock valued at Rs 16.24 lakh.

The Festival Enforcement Portal, a newly launched tool, played a crucial role in making food safety checks more time-bound and transparent. FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe emphasized preventing unsafe food from reaching devotees while ensuring religious rituals remained uninterrupted. The FDA primarily focused on production units, warehouses, cold storages, mills, and wholesale markets before festivals.

Citizens are advised to purchase sweets, prasad, and fasting foods only from licensed establishments and to retain bills. Mandals organizing community food distribution have been asked to inform the FDA seven days in advance.