The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has seized suspected substandard food stock valued at ₹34.17 lakh from 25 establishments across Pune and five other districts ahead of Diwali, destroying 683 kg of food and suspending the licences of 12 businesses.
The action was carried out under the FDA’s ‘Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra’ campaign as demand rises for sweets, savouries, ghee, edible oil and dry-fruit products during the festival season. The districts covered were Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur.
In Pune city, FDA teams seized 1,796 kg of ghee from an establishment in Ganesh Peth. In Sangola in Solapur district, officials seized 3,146.8 kg of edible oil. The FDA said both locations had large stocks of food products during the inspections.
Inspections in Pune covered food businesses in Baner, Wanowrie, Ganesh Peth, Dehu, Erandwane, Kothrud and Mundhwa. The products seized included motichoor laddus, boondi, barfi, mawa, khoya, ghee, farsan and dry-fruit items.
The 12 establishments whose food business licences were suspended with immediate effect were New Gayatri Traders, Dwarka Sweets, Balaji Dryfruits, Ajay Wafers in Dhankawadi, M/s Jai Bhavani Wafers, M/s New Balaji Bakers in Sangli, Shrilakshmi Food Production in Dehu, Om Sweets in Nigdi, Balaji Dry Fruit in Shirur, Shivaji Sweets in Baramati, Bangalore Iyengar Bakers in Kolhapur and Jai Ganesh Ladduwala in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The action comes at a time when households across Pune and neighbouring districts typically purchase larger quantities of ready-to-eat festive food. The seized stock and destroyed products represent enforcement action against specific establishments; the supplied report does not state that all products sold in the wider market were unsafe.
The FDA has not provided, in the supplied report, details of laboratory findings, the individual reasons for each seizure, or the duration and review process for the suspended licences. Further action will depend on the department’s inspection and enforcement procedures under the food safety framework.
