The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended 30 food licences or registration certificates and seized 50,601.78 kilograms of food stock worth Rs 1.19 crore during a festival-season enforcement drive conducted from 23 to 27 September.
The action covered establishments across four administrative divisions. The FDA suspended licences or registrations at 13 establishments in Mumbai, six in the Konkan division, eight in the Pune division and three in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, according to a statement issued by the department.
The establishments named in the FDA action include Kyani & Co., Colaba Sweet Mart, Arun Vilas Farsan, Ruchi Veg Restaurant, Daffodils Fast Food Inn and Subway. The department said action was taken for violations of food safety and hygiene requirements.
During an inspection at Kyani & Co. in Kalbadevi, FDA officials found cats, flies and cockroaches in storage areas, the department said. At Colaba Sweet Mart, inspectors reported cockroaches, lizards and flies, along with inadequate pest-control arrangements.
The enforcement operation also covered Pune, Kolhapur and Solapur. In these locations, food products valued at Rs 28.54 lakh and weighing 6,366.88 kilograms were seized. The Konkan division accounted for approximately Rs 39.99 lakh worth of seized material, weighing 23,806.90 kilograms.
The seized products included khoya, paneer, ghee, sweets, edible oil, spices, dry fruits and other food items. The figures indicate that the operation extended beyond individual restaurant kitchens to food storage and supply chains serving consumers during the festival period.
In a separate action against prohibited food products, the FDA said it seized goods worth Rs 30.63 lakh, registered 22 first information reports and arrested 30 people. Three establishments were sealed, while three vehicles valued at Rs 14.80 lakh were also seized.
The enforcement figures underline the role of state food-safety authorities in monitoring a highly distributed urban food system, in which products move through manufacturers, wholesalers, storage facilities, restaurants, sweet shops and fast-food outlets before reaching consumers. The department’s statement did not specify the individual quantities or laboratory findings for each seized product.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said legal action would continue against establishments involved in selling or storing expired, tampered with or unhygienically prepared food products. The department has not announced a separate timeline in the supplied statement for the review or restoration of the suspended licences.
