Maharashtra FDA seizes food items worth Rs 45 lakh in statewide crackdown
Authorities confiscated 4,002 kg of sweets from a luxury bus in Mumbai during a three-day inspection drive.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized food products worth approximately Rs 45 lakh during a three-day statewide inspection drive conducted between November 1 and 3, according to reports by The Hindu and India Today.
In Mumbai, officials intercepted a Tania Travels luxury bus on the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road near Tilak Nagar Police Station on November 2. The consignment, valued at Rs 11.11 lakh, contained 4,002 kg of various sweets and halwa, including Gopal Sweet Barfi, Nandi Indian Dessert, Shree Bansidhar Sweet Halwa, Shree Gokul Traditional Sweets, Nandi Indian Sweet Halwa, and Shree Gokul Halwa.
The FDA stated the items were being transported in unhygienic conditions without temperature control, posing potential health risks and suspected adulteration. Six samples were collected for laboratory analysis, with further action to be taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, once results are received.
The crackdown also targeted substandard and adulterated products worth Rs 22.34 lakh across several divisions. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division reported the largest seizure in this category, involving 5,066 kg of food and 420 litres of edible oil worth Rs 11.30 lakh.
Other enforcement actions included the seizure of food worth Rs 5.30 lakh in Konkan, Rs 3.76 lakh in Pune, Rs 1.05 lakh in Amravati, Rs 43,200 in Nashik, and Rs 48,500 in Nagpur. In Pune, unsafe perishable items were destroyed at a waste processing centre in Dhankawadi.
The drive resulted in three FIRs, two arrests, the suspension of five licences across Yavatmal, Akola, Buldhana, and Washim, and the sealing of two establishments. FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said inspections would continue to ensure food safety and compliance with regulations.