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Maharashtra FDA accelerate food-safety surveillance
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Saturday, 05 September, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
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Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sharply accelerated its food-safety surveillance, collected 34,584 food samples and completed testing of 30,492 samples between June and August 2026, as the state intensifies its drive to ensure that only safe, quality-compliant food products reach consumers. The food testing volume recorded a major rise over 2025-26, with the average number of food samples collected increasing by 340% and the number tested rising by 435%.
The Maharashtra FDA has significantly expanded the scale of food sample collection and laboratory testing during the three-month period from June to August 2026, making food quality surveillance a central part of its enforcement strategy under the “Safe Food, Safe Drug, Safe Maharashtra” campaign. Of the 34,584 food samples made available for testing during the period, laboratories completed examination of 30,492 samples, reflecting a substantially higher testing throughput compared with the previous financial year.
Laboratory results showed that 15,332 food samples met standard quality requirements. At the same time, 15,055 food samples were recorded as enforcement samples and 105 as surveillance samples. Overall, 15,160 food samples were declared not of standard quality, underlining the importance of intensified sampling, laboratory examination and regulatory intervention across the food supply chain.
The sharp increase in testing activity marks a major expansion compared with 2025-26. During the previous financial year, the FDA collected 47,600 samples across food, medicines and cosmetics and completed testing of 33,119 samples. On an average, 3,967 samples were collected every month and 2,760 samples were tested. In contrast, during the latest three-month period, the combined average collection reached 12,534 samples per month, while average testing increased to 10,868 samples per month. For food products specifically, the FDA recorded an average increase of 340% in sample collection and 435% in laboratory testing compared with 2025-26.
The expanded food testing programme is aimed at strengthening regulatory oversight from manufacturers and processors to distributors, sellers and other points in the food supply chain. Regular inspections, risk-based surveillance, market sampling and laboratory analysis are being used to identify food products that fail to comply with prescribed safety and quality standards.
Maharashtra has a network of three food testing laboratories under the FDA, located in Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur. In addition, food samples are also sent to the Health Department’s State Public Health Laboratory (SPHL) in Pune for testing. The food testing laboratories under the administration are NABL accredited, providing an established laboratory framework for the examination of food samples collected during enforcement and surveillance operations.
The FDA has also initiated legal action based on laboratory findings in cases where food products are found to be non-compliant. Action against manufacturers, distributors, sellers and other entities is being taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, along with the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011 and applicable regulations. The objective is to ensure that food products placed in the market conform to prescribed safety, quality and regulatory requirements.
The administration’s intensified laboratory programme is therefore not limited to detecting non-compliant food products but is intended to create stronger accountability throughout the food distribution system. Samples found to be adulterated, substandard, misbranded or otherwise in violation of food safety requirements can trigger enforcement proceedings and other action under applicable law.
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said, “Continuous monitoring is being carried out to safeguard public health. If substandard, counterfeit, adulterated, or non-compliant products pose a risk to citizens' health, strict legal action will be taken against those involved in the manufacturing and distribution systems.”
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