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Maharashtra FDA cracks down on festival food adulteration
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Monday, 09 November, 2026, 11 : 00 AM [IST]
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Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
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With the festive season driving a sharp surge in demand for sweets, milk products, khava-mawa, ghee, edible oils, dry fruits and packaged food, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has intensified its statewide enforcement campaign to prevent adulteration, misleading labelling, substandard manufacturing and the sale of expired or unsafe food.
The special drive, conducted between September 1 and November 3, 2026, has resulted in the inspection of 9,667 food establishments, the issuance of 4,603 improvement notices, suspension of 954 food licences and registrations, and initiation of cancellation proceedings against another 25 establishments. Authorities have also collected 8,835 food samples and seized 3,098.46 metric tonnes of food stock valued at Rs. 63.45 crore.
The figures underline the scale of the regulatory intervention, which covers the entire food supply chain, from manufacturing units, warehouses and transportation networks to wholesale markets, retail outlets, online grocery platforms, restaurants, caterers and street food vendors.
The Diwali-specific operation, conducted between October 15 and November 3, accounted for 3,332 inspections, 1,501 improvement notices, 326 licence suspensions and cancellation proceedings against 15 establishments. During this shorter enforcement window, officials collected 3,864 samples and confiscated 1,886.44 metric tonnes of food stock worth Rs. 44.37 crore.
Issuing a strong warning to food businesses, Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said, “Diwali is a festival of joy, and our foremost priority is that every citizen gets safe, standard quality food this festive season. Food Business Operators must strictly comply with all regulations and put consumer trust first. Adulteration or compromise on quality is not merely a violation of law; it is a compromise with the health of citizens.”
Emphasising that enforcement would be uniform irrespective of the size or reputation of a business, Mundhe added, “Big brand or small, the rules are the same for all, and enforcement will be equally stringent. We fully support honest and compliant food business operators. Those who endanger public health will be shown no leniency and will face strict action, including suspension or cancellation of licences and other legal action under the law.”
He clarified that the administration's objective was not to harass food business operators but to establish a stronger culture of food safety and regulatory compliance. “On public health, there will be absolutely no compromise,” he asserted.
The enforcement campaign has placed particular emphasis on commodities that witness increased consumption during festivals, including sweets, khava-mawa, milk, paneer, ghee, edible oils, farsan, dry fruits, chocolates, bakery products and gift hampers. Authorities are also maintaining special surveillance on the transportation of khava and mawa arriving from other states, with inspections focusing on their source, storage conditions, cold-chain maintenance and distribution records.
A commodity-wise assessment reveals that edible oils and salt, spices and condiments account for a substantial share of the seized stock. The FDA recorded 220 seizure cases involving 925.11 metric tonnes of edible oil valued at Rs. 16.31 crore. Another 301 cases involving salt, spices and condiments resulted in the seizure of 895.32 metric tonnes worth Rs. 21.09 crore.
The department also seized 171.57 metric tonnes of milk products, including ghee and khava, valued at Rs. 7.63 crore across 175 cases. Dry fruits accounted for 156.66 metric tonnes worth Rs. 7.47 crore, while 59.78 metric tonnes of sweets valued at Rs. 1.36 crore were seized in 133 cases. A further 48 metric tonnes of namkeen and snacks, valued at Rs. 1.18 crore, were confiscated.
Regionally, the Pune division recorded the highest number of inspections at 2,540, followed by Konkan with 2,202 and Greater Mumbai with 1,504. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division recorded the largest quantity of seized stock at 800.88 metric tonnes, followed by Konkan at 722.51 metric tonnes and Nashik at 700.38 metric tonnes. Konkan reported the highest seizure value among the divisions at Rs. 21.17 crore, followed by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at Rs. 12.37 crore and Pune at Rs. 10.39 crore.
The Diwali operation has also intensified scrutiny of online food retail and quick-commerce businesses, including dark stores and fulfilment centres. Officials are checking the licences of sellers and warehouses, storage temperatures, product shelf life and the delivery of expired or near-expiry goods. Platforms are required to ensure that food products meet applicable shelf-life requirements at the time of delivery.
In a wider regulatory push, the FDA has identified 19 priority sectors for targeted inspection and consumer awareness. These include sweet shops, dairy units, edible oil manufacturers, farsan producers, dry fruit traders, silver-leaf suppliers, food-colour manufacturers, supermarkets, e-commerce platforms, hotels, caterers, street vendors, fruit-ripening facilities, packaged drinking water manufacturers, transporters, cold-storage operators and importers.
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