Pune food safety raids during the festival period resulted in inspections of 849 food establishments, notices to 440 establishments, suspension action against 69 establishments and the seizure of suspected adulterated food stock valued at about Rs 1.52 crore, according to information released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The inspections were carried out across the Pune division between September 1 and September 23 against the backdrop of the Ganesh festival. The FDA said establishments with deficiencies were issued improvement notices, while those found to have serious violations faced legal action under food safety regulations.
The department filed 176 cases under Section 69 of the Food Safety and Standards Act in the Pune division during the period. Of these, 160 cases were disposed of, with fines amounting to Rs 18.43 lakh collected, the FDA said. Pune recorded the highest number of improvement notices issued in the state during the reported period and also had the highest number of cases disposed of.
The enforcement drive included the collection of 672 food samples for analysis. The samples covered products commonly sold or consumed during the festival season, including sweets, khoya, dairy products, edible oil and fasting foods. The testing was intended to identify possible adulteration and other violations of food safety requirements.
The FDA said 46,266.02 kilograms of food stock was seized in the Pune division on suspicion of adulteration. The seized material was estimated to be worth Rs 1,52,24,000. The report did not specify the individual establishments involved, the products in each seizure or the results of laboratory analysis of the collected samples.
The Pune division’s enforcement figures formed part of inspections undertaken by the FDA across Maharashtra during the period. According to the department’s statement, Pune followed the Konkan region in the number of food samples collected statewide. The regulatory action highlights the administrative burden of monitoring food businesses during periods when demand for sweets, dairy products, edible oil and festival-related foods rises.
The FDA has not, in the supplied statement, provided a further timeline for laboratory findings from the 672 samples or details of additional action that may follow against the establishments from which suspected adulterated stock was seized.
