In a major crackdown on food adulteration, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has arrested 33 people and sealed 27 establishments during
a three-day statewide drive, officials said on Saturday. The special campaign, which also saw the seizure of goods worth more than Rs 20.67 lakh, was conducted between May 25 and May 27 across six administrative divisions, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said. As per a release, the operation targeted the sale of banned products, adulterated food items, unsafe food manufacturing units and violations of food safety regulations, with FDA teams carrying out inspections of gutkha, pan masala and other prohibited products, as well as food processing and packaging units. "As many as 33 persons were arrested, 27 establishments were sealed, and goods worth more than Rs 20.57 lakh were seized. We will register chapter cases against repeat offenders and take stringent action against those who compromise public health," Mundhe said. In the Mumbai metropolitan division alone, 19 accused were detained and 19 establishments sealed. The FDA stated that the crackdown extended beyond banned products, as officials collected samples of packaged drinking water, milk, juices, carbonated beverages, edible oils, sweets, ice cream, toddy, spices, khoya, paneer, ghee, gram flour and bakery products for quality testing. Food items worth about Rs 28.68 lakh were seized under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and samples were drawn for laboratory analysis, it said. Among the major cases detected during the drive, officials in Jalgaon uncovered an alleged milk adulteration racket, which involved the mixing of edible oil with cow milk, while in Pune district's Indapur area, authorities seized mangoes worth about Rs 20,000 after detecting the alleged use of chemical substances to artificially ripen them. In Mumbai, action was taken against a noodle manufacturing unit in Dharavi for alleged violations of labelling norms and food safety regulations, with a large quantity of stock seized, and in Nashik, the FDA initiated proceedings against multiple establishments for alleged licence violations, misleading labelling practices and sale of substandard edible oils. FDA team also seized stock worth lakhs from a Palghar-based ice cream manufacturing unit operating in unhygienic conditions in violation of food safety norms, the release said. Mundhe said no individual or establishment found endangering public health would be granted any concession and warned that violations of food safety laws would invite not only penal action but also criminal prosecution. He appealed to citizens to report suspected food adulteration and provide detailed information about the location, establishment and products involved, and said that the FDA is also developing a dedicated mobile application to enable people to lodge complaints more easily.
