Maharashtra FDA Seizes 43.56 Tonnes of Suspected Unsafe Food Worth ₹1.56 Crore

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized 43.56 tonnes of food products and 719.2 litres of milk and ghee worth a combined ₹1.56 crore during a statewide enforcement drive against suspected substandard, adulterated and incorrectly labelled food items, officials said on Saturday.

The action also resulted in the destruction of 564 litres of milk in Mumbai and the suspension of licences or registrations of several food establishments found violating food safety norms.

The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division accounted for the largest seizure by volume, with 26.84 tonnes of food products valued at ₹64 lakh confiscated during the drive. The Konkan division followed with 9.99 tonnes of food stock worth ₹53.55 lakh, while the Pune division reported seizures of 2.11 tonnes of food items valued at ₹7.93 lakh.

In the Nashik division, officials seized 4,069 kg of food products and 62.2 litres of ghee worth ₹8.25 lakh. The Nagpur division reported the seizure of 883.3 kg of oil valued at ₹1.77 lakh.

The FDA also confiscated prohibited food items worth ₹19.56 lakh in Pune, ₹4.22 lakh in Mumbai and ₹19,090 in Nashik as part of its crackdown.

Separately, inspections in Mumbai led to the suspension of licences or registrations of seven food establishments after officials found multiple violations of prescribed safety standards.

The violations included unhygienic kitchens and drainage systems, improper storage of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, the use of unauthorised food colours and the absence of medical certificates for workers.

The statewide operation forms part of the department’s efforts to check food safety violations and prevent potentially unsafe products from reaching consumers. The FDA said it would continue enforcement drives and take action against establishments found flouting prescribed standards.