Maharashtra FDA Raids 11 Food Units in Thane, Seizes Rs 20.48 lakh material

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stepped up food safety enforcement across the state, with its Thane team raiding 11 food manufacturing units in Shil-Diva and seizing food products and raw materials worth Rs 20.48 lakh.

The action was carried out at units in Khardi village, Bhaskar Compound, where officials seized more than 28,955 kg of food materials and raw ingredients, along with 56 litres of edible oil. The seized products included potato wafers, farali chivda, farsan, bhakarwadi, schezwan sticks, banana chips, refined flour, gram flour and palm oil.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the state has a zero-tolerance approach towards food safety violations and will continue taking legal action against businesses dealing in expired or adulterated food. The department has also directed organisers of large-scale festival food distribution events to submit prior notification through the Food & Drug Grievance Portal at least seven days before the event.

Separately, the FDA said licences and registrations of 11 food establishments across Mumbai, Konkan, Pune and Sambhajinagar have been suspended over serious safety violations.

The enforcement drive also covered railway catering kitchens, food plazas, dark stores and dairy suppliers, where officials reported issues including cockroach infestation, cold-chain breaches, expired products and poor sanitation.