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Maharashtra FDA intensifies statewide enforcement drive
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Friday, 25 September, 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 enforcement drive against unsafe, substandard and illegally handled food, targeting multiple weak points in the food supply chain including unlicensed establishments, poor hygiene, incorrect labelling, unsafe storage, suspected adulteration and the illegal sale and transportation of banned food products.
The action across Nagpur, Pune, Konkan, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Brihanmumbai divisions has resulted in seizure of food stocks, suspension of licences, stop-business notices, FIRs and arrests.
The latest enforcement drive also exposed practices such as the reuse of old tins for packing edible oil, non-functional testing facilities, storage of food in unhygienic conditions and transportation of large quantities of sweets in a passenger bus. The FDA has said the action is aimed at preventing food products that may pose a risk to consumers from entering the market and ensuring compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act and associated regulations.
In Nagpur Division, FDA teams carried out inspections on September 21 and 22, 2026, against the illegal sale, storage and transportation of banned food products including gutkha, pan masala, scented tobacco and related products. Eight establishments were inspected and banned stocks were detected at seven locations. Banned food products worth Rs 31.83 lakh and three vehicles valued at Rs 19.60 lakh allegedly used for transportation were seized. Seven FIRs were registered under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and seven persons were arrested.
In Brihanmumbai Division, banned food stock worth Rs 2.48 lakh was seized from one establishment. An FIR was registered and two persons were arrested in the case.
The Nagpur-Gadchiroli action also brought to light concerns over edible oil handling. In Gadchiroli, FDA teams found old and used tins being reused for packing refined soybean oil and laboratories at two establishments were found closed or non-functional. At Anisha Industries and Marketing, Desaiganj, 2,801 kg of refined soybean oil valued at Rs 5.18 lakh was seized, while at New Harjeet Provisions, Desaiganj, 1,393 kg valued at Rs 2.60 lakh was seized.
In Nagpur, 748.4 kg of refined soybean oil worth Rs 1.19 lakh was seized from Sainath Trader, while 1,798.4 kg valued at Rs 2.87 lakh was seized from Jyoti Oil Mill. The division also seized 128 kg of loose Soan Papdi worth Rs 28,160 from Jai Durga Sweets over suspected substandard or unsafe food and unhygienic conditions.
The enforcement extended to milk and milk products. In Pune, 8 kg of Malai Modak worth Rs 5,120 and 3 kg of Kalakand with silver varakh worth Rs 1,920 were seized from Laxmi Sweets, Pimpri, where the establishment was allegedly operating without a licence or registration and faced concerns relating to food safety and hygiene. Agarwal Dairy, Hadapsar, was found selling ghee without labels, resulting in seizure of 17.5 kg worth Rs 11,200.
At Om Trading Company, Bibwewadi, 225 kg of khoa worth Rs 67,500 and 130 kg of medium-fat paneer worth Rs 57,200 were seized amid concerns over licensing, food safety and hygiene compliance. New Laxmi Sweets at Paud had 18 kg of low-fat paneer worth Rs 5,940 seized for issues including product-category registration, suspected substandard food and sale without labels.
In Raigad, 12 kg of loose sweet khoa worth Rs 3,120 and 11 kg of loose khoa worth Rs 3,300 were seized from Parihar Sweets, Pen, while Manpasand Mithaiwala, Karjat, had 22 kg of loose cow-milk khoa worth Rs 6,600 seized. In Thane, Shri Samarth Dairy, Badlapur, had 9 kg of paneer worth Rs 5,040 seized, while 78 litres of raw buffalo milk worth Rs 7,020 was seized from Akash Dairy, Diva, with legal action initiated.
The FDA also acted against labelling and hygiene violations at B. J. R. Super Foods Private Limited in Bhiwandi. A total of 4,164.86 kg of food products, including eggless cake mixes, baking powder, corn flour, instant mixes, mukhwas, custard powder, beverage mix, baking soda, food flavours, food colour, tasting powder, ice cream mix and waffle mix, was seized for suspected labelling violations and substandard food. The stock was valued at Rs 15.87 lakh.
At Jyoti Foods in Navi Mumbai, 1,988 kg of RBD palmolein oil, nylon sev, tikhat gathiya, barik sev, chana besan and pea flour worth Rs 2.18 lakh was seized over alleged standards, labelling and hygiene violations. Waghani Trading, Vashi, had 3,600 kg of Lachkari Wada rice valued at Rs 3.02 lakh seized for hygiene and sanitation violations. At Bhavram, Kudal, 181 kg of jaggery, farsan and khoa worth Rs 29,800 was seized after manufacturing and storage were found to be carried out in unhygienic conditions.
Nashik division reported another significant intervention when FDA officials intercepted a Welcome Travels passenger bus travelling from Ahmedabad to Akola carrying around 5,000 kg of sweets. The sweets were allegedly stored in extremely unhygienic conditions without following food safety norms. The entire consignment was seized over concerns regarding its quality and possible adulteration.
At V. H. Enterprises in Nashik, 20,300 kg of bhagar worth Rs 25.37 lakh was seized after it was found to be substandard. The stored packets allegedly lacked mandatory information such as product name, manufacturing date, expiry date and FSSAI registration number, while the food grains were stored in unhygienic conditions with possible exposure to dust and insects. Rajkamal Sweets, Sinnar, had 18 kg of modak worth Rs 7,200 seized, while 4,572 samosas worth Rs 45,720 were seized from Mateshwari Samosa in Nashik over unhygienic conditions and suspected substandard food. Bharkadevi Ice Cream in Nandurbar had 64 kg of frozen dessert valued at Rs 11,791 seized on suspicion of adulteration.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Morya Kirana, Waluj, had 17.8 kg of spices, comprising chilli, turmeric and coriander powder, seized for suspected substandard quality. The combined value was Rs 6,160.
The FDA has simultaneously moved against food businesses operating without valid licences.
Hotel Utkarsh Palace in Sangli and Gulzar Place in Solapur were found operating without valid FSSAI licences during inspections on September 22. Stop-business notices were issued under Section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The provision requires food business operators engaged in manufacturing, storage, distribution or sale of food to possess the prescribed licence or registration.
At Laxmi Farsan in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, inspection found pest activity, failure to follow the FIFO system, improper segregation of food and non-food materials, absence of temperature-controlled storage for temperature-sensitive foods, inadequate cleaning schedules and lack of required internal and external audits. The establishment was also found non-compliant with hygiene and sanitation requirements under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, resulting in suspension of its licence.
Licences were also suspended at Balaji Bikaner Sweet Mart in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and OAM Industries (India) Private Limited in Nagpur after inspections found violations of hygiene and safety provisions under Schedule 4, Part 1 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011.
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the administration would continue enforcement against practices that compromise food safety and consumer protection. “The Government is extremely strict about the quality of food items and the enforcement of the law in Maharashtra. Playing with the health of consumers and the public will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Such strict legal action will continue against those selling/storing expired or tampered food items,” Mundhe said.
The statewide action underlines the FDA's objective of strengthening compliance at the retail, manufacturing, storage and transportation stages while disrupting the circulation of banned, mislabelled, substandard or potentially unsafe food. The administration has asked consumers to report complaints regarding food quality or malpractice through the toll-free number 1800222365 or the Food and Drug Grievance Portal.
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