Maharashtra FDA Announces State-Wide Food Safety Checks Ahead of Festive Season

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing a state-wide food safety inspection drive ahead of the festive season, with checks planned before, during and after celebrations. The exercise will cover food businesses across the state, including restaurants, hotels, street food operators and establishments supplying food to institutions.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the department will issue an order detailing the measures shortly. The inspections will focus on whether food businesses have the required licences and are following prescribed food safety standards. The regulator said the objective is to prevent food safety incidents and ensure food is prepared and supplied by licensed operators, rather than targeting any particular festival.

“Even during the festive season, avoid HFSS -- high-fat, salty and sugary foods. Take them only in limited quantities. Don't overeat. It is not really good for you. You should enjoy your health,” said Mundhe, while advising consumers to limit their intake of high-fat, salty and sugary (HFSS) foods during the festive period.

Mundhe also referred to restrictions on HFSS products around educational institutions, which have been in place since 2020, with implementation across India beginning in 2021. Under the rules, such products cannot be sold, advertised, produced, transported or stored within the prescribed area around educational institutions.

The Maharashtra FDA is also continuing inspections of food supplied to schools and anganwadis, including meals prepared through central kitchens. Officials have inspected central kitchens, collected samples and directed that checks continue across the state. Schools and anganwadis are to be inspected at least twice a year, with a minimum number of samples collected each month.

Suppliers involved in the mid-day meal programme are also being examined for compliance. Mundhe said the licence of one supplier had been suspended following violations.

The food safety requirements will also cover mahaprasad and food served at bhandaras. According to Mundhe, food business operators preparing or supplying such food must have the applicable registration or licence and comply with food safety requirements.

The FDA has indicated that the same regulatory standards will apply across different formats. Street food vendors, restaurants and hotels, including five-star properties, will be assessed on licensing, food handling practices, raw material quality and other applicable food safety requirements. The standards will also extend to food operations in government and private establishments.

The state-wide drive comes as food businesses prepare for increased demand during the festive period, when higher volumes of production, storage and food service can increase the importance of regulatory compliance.

Mundhe also highlighted the FDA’s focus on medicine quality, stating that the quantity mentioned on a medicine strip must match its actual contents. Products that do not meet prescribed quality standards may be classified as substandard, misbranded or spurious depending on the nature of the violation, with regulatory action possible against non-compliant products.