The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended 18 food business licences, stopped operations at four establishments and arrested three people in a statewide crackdown on suspected adulterated, substandard and unsafe food products ahead of Diwali.
The action followed a special inspection drive conducted on November 3, during which the FDA seized approximately 1,434.078 kg of food products and 204 litres of kokum valued at Rs 37.49 lakh, according to an official statement reported by Mid-Day. The department also prohibited food products worth Rs 16.86 lakh and registered two FIRs linked to the sale and possession of prohibited items.
In Mumbai, the FDA suspended the licences of five establishments: Sheetals in Dadar West, ITC Limited in Andheri East, Dhanya Enterprises in Mulund, Gupta Shev and Puri in Mulund, Zepto Limited in Kandivali East, and Bhagwati Stores in Borivali. The FDA cited deficiencies including unhygienic manufacturing conditions, suspected substandard products, improper storage, expired ingredients and labelling violations.
Across Maharashtra, Pune recorded six licence suspensions, while Mumbai recorded five. Five licences were suspended in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and two in Amravati. The action covered manufacturers, stockists and sellers dealing in sweets, milk products, farsan, spices, edible oils and dry fruits.
The FDA also ordered four establishments to stop business operations. Three of them were in Pune—Shree Ganesh Ladduwale in Shikrapur, Pournima Sweets in Wanowrie and Sirvi Sweets in Bibwewadi—while Maa Bhagwati Mithai and Faral Karkhana in Amravati was also ordered to close operations. The department cited suspected unsafe or substandard food, unhygienic manufacturing conditions, lack of valid licences and suspected use of unauthorised food colours.
The seized products included motichoor laddus, boondi, halwa, milk products, loose khoa, ghee, farsan, chakli, shankarpali, poha chivda, spices, almonds, cashew nuts, flour and edible oils. Among the reported seizures were almonds worth Rs 8.98 lakh from Ashish Traders in Sangli, chilli and turmeric powder worth Rs 5.04 lakh from Dhanashree Spices in Navi Mumbai, and refined soybean oil worth Rs 3.51 lakh from S S Oil Industries in Ahilyanagar. Some perishable and suspected unsafe products were destroyed.
In a separate operation, the FDA seized gutkha, pan masala, scented tobacco and similar prohibited products worth Rs 16.86 lakh. The Maharashtra government has prohibited their manufacture, storage, transportation and sale in the state since July 20, 2026. The Pune division accounted for products worth Rs 16.84 lakh and two arrests, while the Konkan division recorded a seizure worth Rs 2,250 and one arrest.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said strict action would be taken against establishments found selling substandard, unsafe or adulterated food products. The department directed food businesses to maintain valid licences, follow hygiene standards, store food correctly, avoid unauthorised colours and comply with mandatory labelling requirements.
The FDA advised consumers to buy food only from licensed or registered sellers and avoid loose or unlabelled products. It also asked citizens to check labels, batch numbers, packing dates and Best Before details before purchasing festive food items.
