Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 29 (ANI): The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized more than 50 tonnes of food products worth nearly Rs 1.20 crore during a statewide crackdown carried out between September 23 and 27 ahead of the festive season, officials said on Tuesday.
According to the FDA, a total of 50,601.78 kg of food stock, valued at Rs 1,19,90,792, was seized during inspections across various districts. The seized products included sweets, milk and milk products, edible oil, rice, dry fruits, namkeen, farsan, tea, spices, sauces, noodles, wafers and other food items.
The department also suspended the licences or registration certificates of 30 food establishments across Maharashtra. These included 13 establishments in Mumbai, six in the Konkan division, eight in the Pune division and three in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division.
During inspections in Mumbai, food establishments were found with serious hygiene and food safety deficiencies, including pest infestation, improper food storage, inadequate segregation of raw and ready-to-eat food, lack of protective equipment and other sanitary violations.
At one food establishment, FDA officials found cats, rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in food preparation and storage areas. Blood had reportedly accumulated inside a refrigerator, while an open sewage manhole was found in the processing section. Food was also found stored directly on the floor and raw dough was covered with printed newspaper.
In another establishment, officials found live cockroaches, lizards, flies and larvae in food preparation and storage areas. Uncovered food was kept near dirty mop water, while records relating to pest control and medical fitness of staff were reportedly unavailable.
Several other restaurants, bakeries and food establishments in Mumbai were also found violating prescribed hygiene and sanitary requirements. The FDA said legal action was being initiated against the concerned food business operators.
In one case, an establishment in Chembur was ordered to immediately stop operations after it was found to be functioning without a valid food licence or registration and violating prescribed hygiene requirements.
The FDA also seized 7,340 kg of edible oil worth Rs 11.81 lakh from an establishment in Jogeshwari during an inspection related to the storage, packaging and quality of edible oil. Officials said reused tins were being used for packaging and prescribed requirements regarding storage materials had been violated.
In the Konkan division, around 23,806.90 kg of food products worth Rs 39.99 lakh were seized. The action covered Thane, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Sindhudurg, with officials seizing products suspected to be substandard, misbranded, wrongly labelled or stored in unhygienic conditions.
The Pune division reported the seizure of 6,366.88 kg of food products worth Rs 28.54 lakh. The seized items included khoa, paneer, ghee, cream, sweets, shrikhand, lassi, coconut oil, farsan and potato wafers. Some products were suspected to be adulterated, unsafe, substandard or wrongly labelled.
In Jalgaon, the FDA seized 7,749.9 kg of food products worth Rs 4.28 lakh, including rice, tutti frutti, khoa, kunda and sweets, over suspected violations involving hygiene, adulteration, quality and labelling.
In Nagpur, Bhandara and Chandrapur, food products worth Rs 32.74 lakh were seized. The action covered allegations of substandard products, unhygienic storage, artificial colouring, improper labelling, unlicensed production and violations of advertising and claims regulations.
The FDA also reported the seizure of 1,097 kg of sweets worth approximately Rs 2.94 lakh in Akola after food products were found being transported in unhygienic conditions. A godown containing additional stock was sealed, and the seized material was destroyed as per rules.
The department separately carried out a crackdown on banned food products across Maharashtra. A total of 26 establishments were inspected, with banned products found at all the locations. Stock worth Rs 30.63 lakh was seized, while 22 FIRs were registered and 30 persons arrested. Three establishments were sealed, and three vehicles were seized.
The division-wise action included 15 establishments inspected in Konkan, two in Nashik, three in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and five in Nagpur, apart from one establishment in Pune.
The FDA said samples of several seized food products had been sent to laboratories for testing, and further legal action would be taken based on the reports.
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the administration would continue strict enforcement against establishments selling or storing expired, tampered, unsafe or unhygienically prepared food products.
“The Government is extremely strict about the quality of food products in Maharashtra and the enforcement of the law. Playing with the health of consumers and the public will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Such strict legal action will continue against establishments selling/storing food products that are expired, tampered with, or prepared in unhygienic and unsafe conditions,” Mundhe said.
The FDA has also appealed to consumers to check the quality of food products, manufacturing and expiry dates, labels and the FSSAI licence or registration of food businesses before making purchases during the festive season. (ANI)
Maharashtra FDA seizes over 50 tonnes of food stock in festive season crackdown
