Tukaram Mundhe's team seizes over 4,000 kg fake khoya, warns sweet shops of more raids

The Maharashtra FDA seized 4,765 kg of a 'mawa-like' product worth Rs 7.67 lakh in Sambhajinagar and warned of more inspections ahead of Diwali. The latest action follows recent licence suspensions and cancellations against eateries and food businesses across Maharashtra over alleged food safety and hygiene violations.

In Short

• The consignment allegedly arrived from Ahmedabad on three travel buses
• Officials said notices will go to suppliers and local buyers
• Shrikant Karkade said the seized mix contained palm oil and sugar

It’s another week, and Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Tukaram Mundhe’s team is back in action. Ahead of the festive season, the FDA seized around 4,765 kg of a ‘mawa-like’ sweet product worth an estimated Rs 7.67 lakh from the Shahnur Miya Dargah premises in Maharashtra's Sambhajinagar.

Acting on a tip-off, the FDA carried out the operation and said show-cause notices would be issued to the supplier who sent the consignment and those who had ordered it. The department also said it would intensify inspections at sweet shops in the city and surrounding areas in view of the festive season, and warned of action against those found violating the rules.

Department Joint Commissioner Shrikant Karkade said the seized product was not pure mawa, also known as khoya, but a substitute made from a mixture of palm oil, vanaspati and sugar. According to Karkade, some sweet manufacturers and sellers use such products to make sweets and sell them as genuine mawa-based sweets in order to earn higher profits at lower cost, thereby misleading customers.

The latest seizure comes nearly a week after the Maharashtra FDA suspended the licence of the canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, citing serious violations of food safety and hygiene standards. The regulator also said it had suspended the licence of Olympia Coffee House in Colaba in south Mumbai following a consumer complaint.

In a statement, the FDA said inspections at Olympia Coffee House found several serious violations, including a urinal in the food storage area. It said the inspection also found unhygienic food preparation and utensil-washing facilities, food being handled directly on the floor, use of unclean water, infestation by cockroaches and flies, meat and blood residue inside a refrigerator, and improper segregation of raw vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.

The FDA said other issues at Olympia Coffee House included the use of damaged wooden chopping boards and the absence of appropriate protective clothing among food handlers. It added that 34 of the 35 food handlers had not undergone the required food safety training, while mandatory water testing reports and essential sanitation records were not available.

With regard to the Nair Hospital canteen, the FDA said serious violations of food safety and hygiene standards had been found there as well. Considering the health and safety of patients and citizens, it said the canteen’s licence had been suspended with immediate effect and that further legal action was under way.

The FDA also said it had cancelled the licences of Chembur-based M/s Blink Commerce Private Limited, Ghatkopar-based M/s Vishwas Sweets and Snacks, M/s A-1 General & Dry Fruits, and Worli-based M/s Milan Punjab for food safety violations. It further said licences of four restaurants in Pune and two in Nagpur had also been suspended.

As part of its campaign during Ganesh Puja, the FDA said it had seized 2,813 kg of milk and dairy products worth Rs 7,38,230 across the state. The latest action, the department said, is part of its wider drive against food safety violations ahead of the festive season.

- Ends