The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended 603 food-related licences and issued thousands of improvement notices during enforcement drives conducted across the state between May 25 and August 31, according to officials cited in a report by Navbharat Times. The action covered hotels, restaurants, clubs, roadside eateries, dairies and food-processing establishments.
The inspections found serious hygiene and food-safety violations, including cockroach-infested kitchens, uncovered raw meat, dirty utensils, inadequate drainage, unsafe water arrangements and poor refrigeration practices. Officials also reported that refrigerators were not being maintained at the required temperatures and that food preparation and serving areas were not being kept clean.
The FDA said 199 hotel and restaurant licences were suspended following inspections of more than 1,800 establishments. It issued 948 improvement notices for deficiencies linked to sanitation, water supply, drainage and cold-chain compliance. Other violations included raw chicken stored in open containers, cut vegetables left uncovered, unclean floors and food-contact surfaces, and missing records of water testing.
The reported enforcement figures varied across the state’s divisions. Pune recorded 4,261 inspections and 168 licence suspensions, the highest number of suspensions among the divisions listed. Konkan reported 3,142 inspections and 108 suspensions, while Greater Mumbai recorded 1,451 inspections and 121 suspensions. Nashik recorded 1,356 inspections and 56 suspensions, followed by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with 1,173 inspections and 61 suspensions, Amravati with 989 inspections and 45 suspensions, and Nagpur with 711 inspections and 44 suspensions.
In a separate enforcement drive covering milk, dairy products and other food items between June and August, the FDA inspected 9,485 establishments and issued 4,321 improvement notices, the agency said in a statement cited by the report. The drive also resulted in action against unsafe or prohibited food products, with 867 arrests reported across the state.
The products covered by the action extended beyond milk and dairy items. The FDA reported inspections and seizures involving cooking oil, mangoes, sweets, khoya, bakery products, candy, jaggery, ghee, dates, ice cream, kulfi, frozen desserts, spices, areca nut products and toddy. The agency said the total value of seized unsafe dairy products and other goods during the three-month campaign was Rs 5.4 crore.
The enforcement activity intensified after IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe took charge as FDA commissioner earlier this year, according to the report. The action was carried out under food-safety requirements that cover sanitation, water quality, storage conditions, refrigeration, building maintenance and the cleanliness of surfaces that come into contact with food. The FDA’s reported figures cover the enforcement period ending August 31.
