Maharashtra FDA conducts 12,083 inspections, seizes food worth ₹67.2 cr

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted 12,083 inspections of food production and sale establishments between June and August and issued 5,269 improvement notices and suspended 603 licences, according to a press note.

The regulator said food products worth a total of Rs 67.20 crore were seized during the three-month period, while 875 people were arrested in various cases.

As part of the action, the FDA inspected 1,803 hotels, restaurants, dhabas, clubs and similar establishments. The inspections resulted in 948 improvement notices and the suspension of 199 licences.

The department also collected 2,766 samples of milk, milk products and other food products for testing and seized stock valued at Rs 5.40 crore, the note said.

A significant portion of the enforcement action was directed at prohibited food products, including paan masala and gutkha. The FDA registered First Information Reports (FIRs) in 644 cases involving the production, sale, distribution and transportation of such products. It arrested 867 people and seized 110 vehicles, along with stock worth Rs 19.62 crore, the note added. 

Separately, the department conducted 696 raids targeting various food products other than prohibited items, milk and milk products. The products seized included edible oil, mangoes, laddus, khava, bakery products, candy, jaggery, ghee, dates, ice cream and kulfi, frozen desserts, spices, supari and palm products. The value of the seized stock in these raids stood at Rs 42.17 crore.

The FDA said inspections of hotels and restaurants also revealed several serious violations of food safety requirements. These included a lack of clean water and proper drainage, breaches in the cold chain, inadequate refrigeration temperatures, large-scale cockroach infestation and unhygienic food-handling practices.

Officials also found deficiencies in employee medical examinations and training, poor structural and hygienic conditions, and risks of cross-contamination. In some establishments, raw chicken was found stored in open containers and cut vegetables had not been properly cleaned.

The department also cited the absence of records for potable water testing, unhygienic floors and utensils, defective drainage, peeling wall plaster and food residues on utensils.

The FDA said it is regularly inspecting food establishments across Maharashtra to verify compliance with food safety regulations covering food quality, production, storage and sale, with food quality and consumer safety being given priority.

The department also noted that Maharashtra had imposed a ban from July 13 on the production, sale, distribution and transportation of paan masala, gutkha, flavoured tobacco and similar products.