The Pune Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized 1,190 kg of laddus and other food products from a production unit in Kondhwa after finding excessive use of food colouring and poor hygiene conditions ahead of Diwali. The seized stock was valued at approximately ₹1,73,950, according to FDA official Balaji Shinde.
The action was carried out at the production centre of Gayatri Laddu Bhandar in Kondhwa following confidential information received by the department. During the inspection, FDA officials found that food colouring in the laddus and boondi was being used beyond the prescribed limit, the department said.
The inspection also found that hygiene rules were not being followed at the production facility. The FDA seized the food products and collected samples of laddus and boondi for laboratory testing. The final findings on the samples are awaited, and further action will depend on the investigation and test results.
Shinde said the department had identified both excessive food colouring and unhygienic conditions at the production unit. He said that a total of 1,190 kg of food products had been seized, with an estimated value of ₹1,73,950, and that the samples had been sent for examination.
The action comes during a period when demand for laddus and other sweets rises sharply in Pune and across Maharashtra ahead of Diwali. Food-safety inspections during the festival season focus on production and retail practices, including the use of permitted ingredients, hygiene conditions and compliance with prescribed food-safety standards.
The FDA’s intervention also follows instructions issued by Tukaram Mundhe regarding closer monitoring of food colouring used in festive food products. Officials had warned that colours used in food must comply with prescribed food-safety standards and that manufacturers and sellers must follow the applicable rules.
The Kondhwa seizure is one of several food-safety actions reported in Pune ahead of Diwali. In a separate operation referenced in the report, the FDA seized and destroyed 303 kg of barfi from a sweets-selling centre. The current case, however, remains subject to laboratory examination of the laddus and boondi samples.
The FDA has not announced the final laboratory findings or specified the next enforcement measure in the Kondhwa case. Further action is expected after the samples are tested and the department completes its inquiry.
