Maharashtra FDA Suspends Licenses of 25 Food Establishments, Seizes ₹1.73 Crore Worth of Food Stock
Maharashtras FDA has suspended licenses of 25 food establishments and seized food stock valued at ₹1.73 crore for safety violations.
Mumbai, October 16 (Daily Kiran) : Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a significant crackdown on food safety violations across the state. The agency suspended the licenses of 25 establishments, including hotels, restaurants, and bakeries, while also revoking the licenses of four food manufacturing units.
During the operation, conducted across Mumbai, Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nagpur divisions, officials seized a total of 81,330 kilograms of suspicious, adulterated, and misbranded food items. The estimated value of the confiscated goods is approximately ₹1.73 crore. The items seized include cooking oils, chili powder, turmeric powder, betel nuts, dried fruits, sago, bhakri, amaranth, tea powder, and sweets.
In the Mumbai division, seven food establishments had their licenses suspended. Notable mentions include Mumbai Bites in Girgaum, the canteen at Sophia College, Avenue E-Commerce Limited in Sion, Janata Bakery in Jogeshwari, PSN Supply Chain Solutions, Sodexo India Services at Fortis Hospital in Mulund, and Arihant Aahar in Ghatkopar.
The FDA reported serious hygiene issues at Sodexo’s kitchen in Fortis Hospital, where inspectors discovered cockroaches, food waste in the drainage, moldy containers, and rusty knives. At Arihant Aahar, unauthorized artificial colors were found in the sweets.
In Pune, eight establishments faced license suspensions, including six Domino’s Pizza outlets located in Pune and Kolhapur. Other affected establishments included Special Tupatli Sabudana Vada on KGM Road and Yasin Food Center in Wagholi. Inspections revealed live cockroaches, foul odors from restrooms, and improper storage of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items.
The Konkan division saw two establishments suspended, with Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division also reporting eight suspensions, including Domino’s outlets in Jalna and Parbhani, along with The Maple Lawn and Restaurant.
Further actions against food adulteration and quality violations were taken in various districts. Notably, 9,165 kilograms of refined soybean oil worth ₹15.02 lakh was seized from Pol Agro Industries at Lasur Station in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. In Nanded’s Dharmabad, three units were found with 25,768 kilograms of chili powder, turmeric powder, and food salt, valued at ₹28.97 lakh. A warehouse in Nagpur yielded 6,178 kilograms of roasted betel nuts valued at ₹23.16 lakh, while a dairy in Gondia was found with moldy sweets.
With the festive season approaching, the FDA also seized approximately ₹36.25 lakh worth of suspicious food items, including sago, bhakri, amaranth, peanut oil, and wafers in Pune and western Maharashtra. Significant quantities of tea powder, peanut oil, sliced cakes, jalebi, dried fruits, and other food products were confiscated in Nashik and Konkan.
To curb the sale and transportation of banned food items, the FDA conducted special operations in Mumbai, Pune, Konkan, and Nagpur on October 14 and 15. These efforts resulted in inspections of 13 establishments and vehicles, leading to the seizure of restricted goods worth ₹18.83 lakh and two vehicles. Additionally, four establishments were sealed, and FIRs were filed against ten individuals. The total estimated value of the seized goods and vehicles exceeded ₹21.83 lakh.
