Pune’s food and drug administration has intensified scrutiny of Diwali snacks, warning manufacturers and traders that violations affecting public health will not be tolerated during the festive season. Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe issued the warning at the inauguration of the 35th laddu-chivda initiative organised by the Poona Merchants Chamber.
Mundhe said citizens must receive safe, quality and adulteration-free festive food. He also cautioned snack producers and sellers to maintain prescribed standards and said the administration would continue monitoring products sold during the season.
According to the report, Mundhe said the quantity of food colouring used in festive snacks should be limited to 100 parts per million. At the event, however, the level was kept at 30 parts per million. He further instructed traders to avoid artificial colours in future and use only natural colours.
The FDA commissioner carried out a practical inspection during the inauguration. He broke open a laddu, examined its smell and checked the quality of the oil and ghee used in the preparation. He stressed that inferior oil should not leave a rancid smell in the snacks and that fried products must meet the applicable standards.
Mundhe also directed organisers to dispose of laddus displayed in the open for exhibition rather than allowing people or cattle to consume them. The instruction highlighted the handling risks associated with food kept outside controlled preparation and storage conditions.
The inspection forms part of a wider preparation effort involving food handlers. The FDA’s guidelines require medical examinations and hygiene training for workers involved in making Diwali snacks. The report said medical examinations and special training had been completed for about 2,000 food handlers.
Technical supervisors have also been assigned to monitor compliance. One supervisor is to oversee technical standards among every group of approximately 25 to 30 workers, according to the report. Their role is to check whether preparation practices and related requirements are being followed.
The arrangements place responsibility on both regulators and the food businesses supplying seasonal demand. For consumers, the administration’s intervention concerns the safety of commonly purchased items such as laddus and chivda, whose production expands during the festive period.
The FDA said its scrutiny of adulterated food products would continue during the season. The immediate enforcement focus is on the quality of ingredients, the use of food colours, hygiene practices, worker preparedness and the handling of products displayed or sold to the public.
