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Maharashtra FDA seizes food stock worth Rs 45 lakh
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Thursday, 05 November, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
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The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its crackdown on the sale, storage, transportation and distribution of prohibited, adulterated and unsafe food products ahead of the festive season, seizing food stock worth around Rs 45 lakh during a three-day statewide enforcement drive from November 1 to 3, 2026.
The action included the registration of three FIRs, arrest of two persons, seizure of two vehicles, sealing of two establishments and suspension of licences of five food business operators, signalling increased regulatory scrutiny of food safety violations during the festive period.
The special inspection drive covered the Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati and Nagpur divisions, with particular attention to establishments involved in the manufacture, storage, transportation and sale of sweets, khawa, farsan, edible oils, dry fruits and other food products. The objective was to prevent unsafe and prohibited food items from entering the consumer market and ensure that food sold during the festive season meets prescribed quality, hygiene and safety standards.
A significant part of the enforcement action was directed against prohibited food products in the Konkan and Nashik divisions, where the FDA seized prohibited stock worth Rs 11.55 lakh. In the Konkan division, prohibited food items valued at Rs 46,490 were seized following an inspection of an establishment. An FIR was registered, the establishment was sealed and a vehicle used in the operation was seized.
In Nashik division, the FDA seized prohibited food stock worth Rs 11.08 lakh and registered two FIRs. Two persons were arrested in connection with the cases, while an establishment was sealed and a vehicle valued at approximately Rs 8 lakh, allegedly used for transporting the prohibited products, was seized. The total value of goods and the vehicle seized in Nashik stood at Rs 19.08 lakh.
In a separate enforcement operation in Mumbai, the FDA intercepted a luxury bus belonging to Tania Travels on the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road near Tilak Nagar Police Station, Chembur, on November 2. The inspection by Food Safety Department Zone 7 revealed that food products were being transported without temperature-controlled conditions and in an unhygienic manner, raising concerns about their safety and possible adulteration.
The FDA seized 4,002 kg of sweets and sweet halwa valued at approximately Rs 11.11 lakh from the vehicle bearing registration number AR 01 S 6030. The seized stock included 2,098 kg of Gopal Sweet Barfi RK, 538 kg of Shree Bansidhar Sweet Halwa, 598 kg of Nandi Indian Dessert, 448 kg of Shree Gokul Traditional Sweets, 268 kg of Nandi Indian Sweet Halwa and 52 kg of Shree Gokul Halwa. The operation was conducted jointly with the police department. Six formal samples were collected and sent for analysis, with further action to be taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, based on the laboratory findings.
Beyond action against prohibited products, the FDA seized another Rs 22.34 lakh worth of food stock suspected to be substandard, adulterated or unsafe across six divisions. In the Konkan division, approximately 960 kg of food products worth Rs 5.30 lakh, including sweets, milk, khawa, farsan, namkeen, edible oil and dry fruits, were seized.
Pune division reported the seizure of 2,005 kg of food products worth Rs 3.76 lakh, including barfi, bhakarwadi, malai peda, farsan, motichoor laddus and boondi. Perishable and suspected unsafe products were destroyed at the Pune Municipal Corporation's waste processing centre in Dhankawadi.
In Nashik, 180 kg of misal sev and Nashik chivda worth Rs 43,200 were seized, and the licence of the concerned establishment was suspended. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division accounted for 420 litres of edible oil and 5,066 kg of food products worth Rs 11.30 lakh, including soybean oil, khawa, rabdi, gulab jamun mix and peda.
In Amravati, 602 kg of food stock worth Rs 1.05 lakh was seized, comprising besan, refined palmolein oil, garlic chivda, sev, papdi, peda, kalakand and jaggery. Two establishments were found closed during the inspections, while the licences of two other establishments were suspended. In Nagpur, 60 kg of cashew kernels valued at Rs 48,500 were seized on suspicion of being substandard.
The FDA also initiated action against hotels, restaurants, dhabas, sweet shops and food manufacturing units for violations of food safety requirements. The licences of five establishments, including New Shegaon Kachori in Yavatmal, Purohit Bikaner Mithaiwala in Ralegaon, Meera Enterprises in Akola, Prakash Food Products in Buldhana and Sadguru Sweet Mart's manufacturing unit in Washim, were suspended. Purohit Rajasthani Mithai in Ghatanji, Yavatmal, was issued a notice to stop business until it obtains the mandatory registration certificate.
The inspections revealed deficiencies relating to food quality, adulteration, unhygienic manufacturing and storage conditions, violations of health and hygiene requirements, improper labelling and the sale and transportation of prohibited food products.
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the administration would continue statewide inspections and strict enforcement to safeguard public health during the festive season. He emphasised that food business operators and transporters must comply with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and its associated rules and regulations, particularly regarding food quality, hygienic handling, transportation and storage.
The continuing enforcement drive is intended to strengthen surveillance across the food supply chain and prevent unsafe products from reaching consumers at a time when demand for sweets, snacks, edible oils and other festive food commodities increases.
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