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Maha FDA festive-season crackdown exposes wide range of safety, hygiene violations
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Tuesday, 06 October, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
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 The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its statewide food-safety enforcement drive ahead of the festive season, seizing 50,601.78 kg, or about 50.60 tonnes, of food products valued at Rs.1.19 crore between September 23 and 27, 2026. The action covered sweets, milk and milk products, edible oils, rice, dry fruits, namkeen, farsan, tea, spices, sauces, noodles, wafers and other food products, with authorities also suspending 30 food licences and registration certificates across the state.
The crackdown has exposed a range of food-safety and hygiene violations, including pest infestation, unsafe storage, suspected adulteration, misbranding, expired products, improper packaging and operation without valid licences. The FDA also intensified action against banned food products, inspecting 26 establishments, seizing banned stock worth Rs.30.63 lakh, registering 22 FIRs, arresting 30 persons, sealing three establishments and seizing three vehicles valued at Rs.14.80 lakh.
The enforcement drive was undertaken under Maharashtra Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, as part of the administration’s “Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra” initiative. The objective is to prevent unsafe and adulterated food from reaching consumers during a period when demand for sweets, milk products, edible oils, dry fruits and other festive foods rises sharply.
In Mumbai, the FDA suspended licences or registration certificates of 13 establishments, including hotels, restaurants, bakeries and food businesses. The inspections revealed serious sanitation concerns at several premises.
At Kyani & Co., Kalbadevi, inspectors found cats, rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in food preparation and storage areas. Blood had accumulated inside a refrigerator and an open sewage manhole was found in the processing section. Food was stored directly on the floor; raw dough was covered with printed newspaper and raw and ready-to-eat food was not properly segregated. Its FSSAI licence was suspended with immediate effect and the establishment was directed to stop purchase, manufacture, processing, storage, sale and distribution of food.
At Colaba Sweet Mart, live cockroaches were found on weighing scales and packaging, while lizards, flies and larvae were found in the food preparation area. Dirty mop water and mops were kept near uncovered food, while ready-to-eat food and raw dough were in direct contact with printed newspaper. Its licence was also suspended.
The FDA similarly acted against Arun Vilas Farsan in Dharavi, where cockroach, insect and rat infestation, poor housekeeping, inadequate storage practices and failure to follow FIFO/FEFO procedures were reported. At Ruchi Veg Restaurant, Parel, the food licence was suspended and operations were stopped following violations of hygiene and sanitary provisions.
Other Mumbai establishments facing inspection-based legal action included QSR Brands India, Royal China at Fort, Tiffin at Bandra West, United Bakery & Stores at Santacruz West, Shree Padmavati Enterprises at Jogeshwari West and Hotel Purandar Vilas at Khar West.
At Daffodils Fast Food Inn, Vile Parle, the FDA found accumulated dust and dirt, dirty refrigeration equipment, malfunctioning temperature displays and workers sleeping in the food storage area. At Subway operated by Eversub India at Lower Parel, an AI-portal complaint led to an inspection that found a faulty refrigerator, mould-like deposits, foul odour, live cockroaches, water accumulation, damaged premises and improper food segregation. Its licence was suspended.
The FDA also ordered S. S. Caterers, Chembur, to stop operations immediately after finding that the business was operating without the required food licence or registration and was not complying with prescribed hygiene requirements.
In the Konkan Division, six establishments had their licences or registration certificates suspended, including Shri Siddhivinayak Foods, Blink Commerce, Foclo Technologies (Instamart), Chainess Dot Com, Jyoti Foods and New Golden Even Fresh Bakery.
The division also accounted for about 23,806.90 kg of seized food stock valued at nearly Rs.39.99 lakh. The seized products included sev, chivda, gathiya, wafers, edible oils, spices, dry fruits, dates, walnuts, tea, khoa, chilli sauce, noodles, raw milk and sweets.
At Shree Padmavati Enterprises in Jogeshwari, 7,340 kg of palmolein oil worth Rs.11.81 lakh was seized after violations concerning packaging and storage were detected, including the use of reused tins.
In the Pune Division, eight establishments faced licence or registration action. A major intervention involved the National Commodities Management Services warehouse at Tanang, Sangli, where unsafe fumigation and storage practices were detected. The FDA noted inadequate ventilation and the absence of an effective system to safely remove toxic phosphine gas following aluminium phosphide fumigation.
The Pune division-wide food seizure totalled 6,366.88 kg valued at Rs.28.54 lakh. Products seized included khoa, paneer, ghee, cream, sweets, shrikhand, lassi, coconut oil, farsan, potato wafers, modak and pedha. At Godhade Dairy Farm and Milk Products in Kolhapur, 50 kg of malai paneer was seized amid suspicion of industrial-grade acetic acid use. At Amba Bhadang in Jaysingpur, 558.4 kg of bhadang was seized after an unauthorised vegan logo was found on the product.
In Jalgaon, FDA teams seized 7,749.9 kg, or 7.75 tonnes, of food products worth Rs.4.28 lakh. The action included 3,148 kg of tutti frutti, 3,492 kg of rice, 97 kg of kunda and khoa, and 12.9 kg of pedha and motichoor laddoo.
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division reported seizures worth Rs.1.57 lakh, including edible oil, khava, expired cumin, pastries, curd and buffalo milk. In Nagpur, Bhandara and Chandrapur, food products worth Rs.32.74 lakh were seized or destroyed. The action covered star anise with artificial colour, raisins, edible oil, rice, caffeinated beverages, jaggery, cream, besan, paneer and milk products.
In Akola, FDA officials seized 1,097 kg of sweets valued at about Rs.2.94 lakh after finding sweets transported from Ahmedabad in unclean luggage compartments of travel buses. A godown in Sindhi Colony containing 125 kg of halwa was sealed and the seized stock was subsequently destroyed as per procedure.
A separate statewide drive targeted banned food products. The FDA inspected 26 establishments across Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions and found banned products at every location inspected. The action resulted in Rs.30.63 lakh worth of stock being seized, 22 FIRs, 30 arrests, three sealed establishments and seizure of three vehicles.
Mundhe warned that the administration would continue enforcement against food businesses that compromise consumer safety.
“The Government is extremely strict about the quality of food products in Maharashtra and the enforcement of the law. Playing with the health of consumers and the public will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Such strict legal action will continue against establishments selling/storing food products that are expired, tampered with, or prepared in unhygienic and unsafe conditions,” Mundhe said.
The FDA has also urged consumers to check food quality, packaging labels, manufacturing and expiry dates and the FSSAI licence or registration of food businesses before purchasing festive food products. Consumers can register complaints concerning food quality or malpractice through the toll-free number 1800222365 or the Maharashtra Food and Drug Grievance Portal.
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