Maharashtra FDA food safety SOP guidelines will now apply throughout the year to food distributed or sold at festivals, weddings and large public events, Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said, clarifying that the framework does not impose restrictions on religious or cultural activities.
Mumbai | September 7, 2026
The Maharashtra FDA has introduced a year-round set of standing instructions and a food-safety standard operating procedure to prevent adulteration and ensure that food served during festivals and public gatherings complies with the law. The framework applies equally to events across communities, including bhandaras, Eid gatherings, Christmas celebrations, New Year’s Eve programmes, weddings and other public events.
Mundhe said the purpose of the instructions was not to regulate how festivals are celebrated, but to verify the safety of food distributed or sold during those occasions. “We are not regulating festivals. We are ensuring that the food served at festivals is safe,” he said, according to Loksatta.
The clarification follows confusion over the order and whether it placed restrictions on religious activities or community food distribution. The commissioner said no ban had been imposed on bhandaras, prasad or communal food distribution. Religious festivals, rituals and traditions, including Ganpati celebrations, would not be interfered with, he said.
The new framework replaces the earlier practice of issuing separate food-safety instructions shortly before individual festivals. The FDA has prepared a year-round festival enforcement calendar intended to establish a uniform process for monitoring food safety during different events.
Under the system, the responsibilities of food officers, food vendors, caterers, food business operators and event organisers are expected to be clarified. The FDA said this would reduce confusion over enforcement and allow the applicable rules to be implemented more consistently.
Mundhe also pointed out that the underlying legal framework is not new. Food-safety rules, including requirements relating to the registration and licensing of food business operators, have been in force since 2011. The new SOP is described as festival-neutral and secular, with the same requirements applying regardless of the community or event involved.
The FDA has intensified action against food adulteration in recent months, according to the report. The year-round calendar is intended to bring that enforcement into a systematic framework for public events instead of relying on separate, occasion-specific directions.
The department’s clarification leaves the focus of implementation on food safety compliance by vendors, caterers, food businesses and organisers. The FDA’s stated position is that the SOP governs the safety and legality of food served at events, not the events, religious practices or cultural activities themselves.
