Pune | September 11, 2026
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized or detained about 17,100 kilograms of suspected adulterated khawa and paneer during an inspection drive in Pune’s Budhwar Peth and Shukrawar Peth areas on Friday, ahead of Ganeshotsav. The action covered 4,600 kilograms of khawa brought from Barshi and 12,500 kilograms of paneer transported from Karnataka, according to a report by Loksatta.
FDA officials began the operation at about 6.30 am, inspecting consignments that had arrived in the city’s wholesale food market. Instead of being distributed to shops and dairy businesses, the material was taken into custody for further action. The total value of the stock covered by the operation was estimated at about Rs 38 lakh.
The 4,600 kilograms of khawa seized from the Barshi consignment was being destroyed, the report said. Samples from the paneer and other suspected material were being collected and sent for laboratory testing. Further action will be decided after the test reports are received.
Between 12 and 13 FDA officials were involved in the operation. The inspection focused on khawa and paneer arriving in Pune from Karnataka and Barshi, which are among the supply sources serving the city’s dairy and food markets. The action was conducted in the wholesale market areas before the goods could be distributed to downstream businesses.
Demand for khawa, paneer and other dairy products rises during Ganeshotsav, when food consumption increases across Pune. The report said that paneer trucks arrive in the city from Karnataka in the early hours and are subsequently distributed to different dairy businesses. Traders cited in the report said Pune receives an estimated 20 to 25 tonnes of paneer from Karnataka each day.
The supply link from Karnataka’s Bagalkot region to Pune’s markets has reportedly operated for about 40 years. Dairy traders said the quantity arriving from the region had fallen by 40 to 50 per cent in recent days following intensified FDA inspections. The report did not provide an independent explanation for the decline or specify whether it reflected reduced supply, diverted consignments or other market factors.
The FDA’s Pune division had been gathering details after directions for the operation were issued by the department’s head office in Mumbai 10 to 12 days earlier, according to information cited by Loksatta. The latest action follows earlier enforcement drives in the Pune division targeting suspected fake or adulterated khawa and paneer.
Laboratory results will determine the next steps in the case. Until those reports are available, the suspected paneer consignments remain subject to testing and regulatory action by the FDA.
