The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its crackdown on food safety violations across the state, leading to the seizure and destruction of significant quantities of adulterated milk, basundi, and ice cream. In a statewide inspection drive conducted on July 9, the FDA targeted various food businesses, including dairy units, eateries, spice traders, and edible oil companies, confiscating food products valued at over ₹57 lakh.
Adulterated Dairy Products Destroyed
As part of the extensive operation, the FDA inspected five milk and dairy processing units, resulting in the seizure of 2,252 kg/litres of milk and dairy products. These products, valued at approximately ₹1.62 lakh, were found to be substandard or suspected of being adulterated. Substandard and suspected adulterated dairy products were subsequently destroyed on-site in Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, and Latur. The department also took action against Gautam Dugdhalaya in Ghatkopar, suspending its food business licence due to multiple violations, including improper product labelling, unhygienic storage conditions, and failure to maintain prescribed temperature standards.
Hotels and Eateries Under Scanner
The FDA also turned its attention to 58 hotels, restaurants, and roadside eateries throughout Maharashtra. Following these inspections, 26 establishments received improvement notices, while the licences of four food businesses were suspended for non-compliance with established food safety regulations. This action comes after earlier raids in late June, where six Mumbai restaurants, hotels, and bakeries had their licences suspended between June 26 and June 28 due to issues such as pest control lapses, expired items, and inadequate kitchen standards. These included establishments like Fleet and Varsha at Nariman Point, Hotel Gopalkrishna in Santacruz East, Karak Enterprises in Andheri, Madras Diaries in Bandra, M.K. Bakery in Borivali, and Hotel Shrikrishna in Bhandup. Inspections by the FDA’s Greater Mumbai Division on July 7 also led to the suspension of licences for K. Rustom & Co., a well-known ice cream establishment, due to the presence of live rats and houseflies, disruption of cold chain operations, and expired products.
Broader Crackdown on Unsafe Food and Banned Products
The enforcement actions extended beyond dairy and eateries. In a parallel operation targeting prohibited tobacco products, the FDA registered eight First Information Reports (FIRs) and arrested 13 individuals, seizing gutkha and pan masala worth ₹41.06 lakh. Additionally, approximately 12,886 kg of unsafe spices, bakery products, and edible oils, valued at around ₹14.92 lakh, were confiscated. Officials seized spices worth approximately ₹7.76 lakh at the APMC Spice Market in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. In Nanded, refined soybean oil marketed under the ‘Saraswati Swadisht’ brand, valued at about ₹3.53 lakh, was seized for alleged violations.
Stricter Norms for Milk Supply Chain
Earlier in July, the Maharashtra FDA had issued a statewide order tightening food safety norms across the milk supply chain. This order, effective immediately, applies to milk collection centres, dairies, transporters, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. The move followed repeated instances of adulteration, synthetic milk production, and other violations detected during inspections. Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe stated that milk adulteration amounts to playing with public health and would not be tolerated. The FDA inspections had previously detected dilution of milk with water, the manufacture of synthetic milk using chemicals such as urea, detergents, and formalin, sale of synthetic milk as fresh milk, antibiotic residues beyond permissible limits, poor hygiene, and failure to maintain the cold chain. The new norms mandate that all operators maintain traceability records from collection to sale, ensure proper cold chain, use food-grade equipment, and implement food safety management systems. Raw milk containers must be labelled “RAW MILK” with a warning for boiling, and pasteurised milk must be sold only in sealed, labelled packs. Repeat offenders and high-risk businesses are subject to enhanced surveillance. In a significant operation on July 11, the FDA raided Ajinkyarana Milk Industries in Sangola, seized and destroyed 37,532 litres of adulterated milk, and closed the unlicensed unit for violating food safety rules. On-the-spot tests revealed the milk was adulterated with water, causing Solids-Not-Fat (SNF) levels to fall below prescribed limits. The facility was operating illegally without a valid food licence and flouted hygiene and safety rules. The entire seized stock, worth Rs 15,01,280, was destroyed on-site.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
