Maharashtra FDA suspends 19 licences and seizes food worth Rs 9 crore
The department confiscated 3,53,000 kg of food items during a festive-season drive across seven divisions.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the licences of 19 food business operators and seized food articles worth Rs 9.01 crore during a special festive-season drive, according to reports by The Hindu and Deccan Chronicle.
Between October 28 and 31, the department confiscated approximately 3,53,000 kg of food items from 114 establishments across seven divisions of the state. The crackdown, led by FDA Commissioner Tukaram Munde, resulted in 13 FIRs, 16 arrests, the sealing of seven establishments, and the seizure of six vehicles.
During the inspections, officials seized 2,279.7 litres of Patanjali cow ghee worth Rs 20.20 lakh from Divya Mahavitarak, a super distributor of Patanjali Ayurved in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The stock was suspected of being misbranded or adulterated and was found to be in contravention of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Other major seizures included 1,44,218 kg of edible oil from Avenue Supermarts Ltd in Bhiwandi and 20,560 kg of rice, pulses, and jaggery from Amin Traders in Satara. In the Pune division, edible oil was seized from Swati Oil Mills in Satara and S G Traders in Solapur.
The FDA stated that the actions were taken due to hygiene deficiencies and violations of safety regulations. This included manufacturing units for namkeen, sweets, and spices in Mumbai, Amravati, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar that failed to maintain mandatory documentation or pest control records.