The Pune Food and Drug Administration destroyed 303 kg of barfi worth approximately Rs 1.21 lakh after an inspection at a sweets shop on the Alandi-Markal Road, citing concerns over the product’s quality, storage conditions and missing documentation.
The action was carried out on November 2 at R. Bikaner Mithai in Mauli Complex, Dhanore village, in Khed taluka of Pune district. The inspection formed part of the ‘Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra’ campaign being conducted under the leadership of Maharashtra Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe.
According to the FDA, officials found 303 kg of barfi and a loose sample of kalakand at the establishment. The barfi stock was suspected to be of substandard quality. Officials also found that the sweets had been stored at room temperature, did not carry labels and were not supported by purchase invoices.
Because the barfi was a perishable product, the FDA said the entire seized stock was destroyed on the spot. The stock was valued at approximately Rs 1,21,200. The action removed the identified batch from sale, while the agency’s inspection also recorded compliance issues relating to storage, labelling and traceability.
The FDA collected a sample of kalakand and sent it for testing and analysis. The supplied account does not state when the laboratory results will be available or whether further action will follow based on the sample’s findings.
Food safety inspections typically require businesses to maintain conditions that protect perishable products and preserve information about their source and handling. In this case, the FDA specifically cited room-temperature storage, the absence of labels and the lack of purchase invoices. These findings are relevant not only to the quality of the seized sweets but also to the ability of regulators to trace products and assess how they entered the shop’s inventory.
The inspection was conducted by Food Safety Officer H. R. Marewar under the guidance of Regional Assistant Commissioner S. N. Chatte and Joint Commissioner (Food) S. Karkale. The FDA has appealed to food business operators to store food products properly, comply with mandatory labelling requirements and maintain purchase invoices and other relevant documents.
The agency’s next stated step is the testing and analysis of the kalakand sample. No laboratory result or additional enforcement order had been reported in the supplied information at the time of publication.
