The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration suspended 105 food business licences, ordered seven establishments to shut and seized food products worth Rs 1,35,70,098 during a statewide Diwali safety drive conducted on November 4 and 5, according to a statement issued by the department. The action covered manufacturers, sweet shops, dairy businesses, restaurants, caterers, retailers, storage facilities, ecommerce platforms and quick-commerce dark stores.
The FDA also confiscated prohibited products, including gutkha, pan masala and scented tobacco, worth Rs 7,96,265. Three First Information Reports were registered, two people were arrested and two vehicles were seized during the operation, the department said.
The inspections focused on food businesses supplying products that see increased demand during the festive season, including sweets, mawa or khoya, milk, paneer, ghee, edible oil, farsan, dry fruits, food colours, chocolates, bakery products, packaged food and gift hampers. Officials also inspected hotels, caterers and street-food outlets.
The Nashik division recorded the highest number of licence suspensions at 39, followed by Brihanmumbai with 28, Pune with 20 and Amravati with 15. Two licences were suspended in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division and one in Thane. Of the seven establishments ordered to stop operations, three were in Pune, two in Amravati, one in Brihanmumbai and one in the Konkan division.
The FDA said inspectors found unhygienic manufacturing and storage conditions at several premises. Reported violations included damaged or blackened walls and ceilings, food stored directly on floors, inadequate packaging, missing protective window mesh, insufficient pest-control measures and the absence of temperature-monitoring systems. Some establishments also lacked food-safety management plans, drinking-water analysis reports, medical-fitness certificates for food handlers and Food Safety Training and Certification records.
The seven establishments directed to shut included Rajdhani Biryani Centre in Borivali West, which the FDA said had violated Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses Regulations, 2011. Aaradhana Dryfruit Sweets in Bhiwandi was found manufacturing without a valid licence, and the department seized 1,780 kg of cashew, kaju katli, kunda and sweet barfi from the premises.
In Washim, Jay Gajanan Farsan was found operating without the required registration, while Laxmi Bikaner in Amravati was found functioning without a licence and in unhygienic conditions. The FDA ordered both units to shut and destroyed 27 kg of pedha at Laxmi Bikaner. In Pune, Shree Ganesh Ladduwale in Shikrapur, Pournima Sweets in Wanwadi and Sirvi Sweets in Bibwewadi were ordered to close over suspected substandard or unsafe food and hygiene-related violations.
The department seized approximately 39,485 kg of food products from more than 69 establishments. Pune accounted for the highest value of food seizures at Rs 49.36 lakh, involving around 14,429 kg, followed by the Konkan division with 6,712 kg worth Rs 32.52 lakh and Nashik with 10,493 kg worth Rs 28.35 lakh. In Mumbai, 2,396 kg of food products valued at Rs 13.87 lakh was seized.
Mumbai-specific action included the seizure of 42 kg of mawa from Tahoora Sweets and Bakery in Nagpada, where the product was reportedly stored at room temperature in unhygienic conditions. Officials also seized 1,452 kg of assorted sweets from Jetharam Chuniram Puniya in Malad for manufacturing without a licence and selling products without labels. The FDA said perishable items considered hazardous to public health were destroyed on the spot in the presence of panch witnesses.
The department’s action against prohibited products resulted in seizures worth Rs 6.80 lakh in the Konkan division and Rs 29,268 in Mumbai. Pune officials seized prohibited products worth Rs 86,447, registered one FIR and arrested one person. Two establishments were sealed, while the two seized vehicles were valued together at Rs 4.70 lakh.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said ensuring access to safe and quality food during Diwali was the department’s priority. He said businesses of all sizes and brands would face action for violating food-safety regulations, while stating that the purpose of enforcement was to promote compliance rather than harass businesses. The department said licence suspensions prevent the affected establishments from conducting food operations under those licences.
The FDA cited provisions under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Section 32 allows licences to be suspended or cancelled, while Section 63 provides for imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh for operating a food business without a licence. Under Section 59, selling unsafe food can attract imprisonment and fines, including a minimum fine of Rs 10 lakh when a violation results in death. Consumers can report food-quality concerns through the FDA’s toll-free number, 1800222365, or its Food and Drug Grievance Portal.
