43 tonnes food, 719 litres milk: Maharashtra FDA seizes Rs 1.56 crore haul

The Maharashtra FDA seized food, milk and ghee during a statewide enforcement drive. The action highlights tighter scrutiny of adulteration, mislabelling and unsafe storage practices.

In Short

• Products suspected to be substandard, adulterated or wrongly labelled
• Seven Mumbai food units had licences suspended for safety violations
• Seizures recorded across divisions including Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has seized about 43.56 tonnes of food products and 719.2 litres of milk and ghee, collectively valued at Rs 1.56 crore, during a statewide drive, Press Trust of India reported, citing officials.

The products were suspected to be substandard, adulterated or incorrectly labelled. The department also destroyed 564 litres of milk in Mumbai and suspended the licences or registrations of several establishments for violating food safety norms.

The Konkan division recorded the seizure of 9.99 tonnes of food products worth Rs 53.55 lakh, while 2.11 tonnes of items valued at Rs 7.93 lakh were seized in the Pune division.

In Nashik, the FDA seized 4,069 kg of food products and 62.2 litres of ghee worth Rs 8.25 lakh, according to PTI. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division recorded the seizure of 26.84 tonnes of food items valued at Rs 64 lakh, while 883.3 kg of oil worth Rs 1.77 lakh was seized in the Nagpur division.

The FDA also seized prohibited food items worth Rs 19.56 lakh in Pune, Rs 4.22 lakh in Mumbai and Rs 19,090 in Nashik.

Separately, the department suspended the licences or registrations of seven food establishments in Mumbai after inspections found violations of food safety norms. These 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 FDA said it would continue its enforcement drives to ensure food safety and act against establishments that violate prescribed standards.

The statewide action resulted in the seizure of food, milk and ghee worth Rs 1.56 crore, the destruction of 564 litres of milk and regulatory action against establishments found violating food safety rules.

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