{
  "id": 6089416,
  "title": "‘Food safety is a huge public health crisis’: Tukaram Mundhe on his first 100 days as FDA chief",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/food-safety-is-a-huge-public-health-crisis-tukaram-mundhe-on-his",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-07T03:00:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/food-safety-public-health-crisis-bmc-tukaram-mundhe-fda-chief-10866345/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tukaram Mundhe, Maharashtra's FDA Commissioner, emphasizes that food safety is a major public health crisis in his first 100 days in office. He criticizes the current distrust in public service and urges a more critical approach, applauding the good and punishing the bad. Mundhe aims to raise public awareness about what constitutes \"standard\" or \"safe\" food through press conferences and clear communication. He acknowledges the massive scale of the issue, with non-communicable diseases accounting for 70% of health burdens today, largely due to poor food choices and uncontrolled medication consumption. The FDA Commissioner highlights that the problem goes beyond food adulteration in hotels or milk products, pointing to a broader public health issue that requires national momentum. He also discusses the backlog of samples processing in his department, which has been reduced significantly, and the ongoing efforts to purchase new equipment and open four new laboratories. Mundhe's balanced diet in schools order, while facing backlash, ultimately led to better practices in schools and positive parent responses. His previous success includes designing a disability welfare portal, India's first of its kind. Mundhe believes that the key to lasting reforms lies in cultivating a work culture that values governance, institutions, and systems over individuals, ensuring that the benefits reach the 12 to 13 crore people of Maharashtra.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Tukaram Mundhe's first 100 days as FDA chief signal a shift towards a more proactive and transparent approach to addressing food safety as a major public health crisis in Maharashtra.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}