Under the “Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra” campaign, regulators seize over ₹67 lakh in compromised goods, suspending licenses over hygienic and cold chain failures.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has executed a massive, coordinated statewide crackdown on compromised food products, intercepting and destroying nearly 2,000 liters of adulterated milk and 320 kilograms of processed dairy products, including basundi and ice cream. Spearheaded as part of the agency’s “Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra” enforcement campaign, the multi-district operation targeted distribution networks before the substandard goods could enter retail markets. Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe issued a strict warning to operators, confirming that unannounced inspectorial raids will intensify across the state to root out systemic adulteration.
The enforcement teams carried out 18 target raids, leading to the interception of 1,952 liters of milk alongside 320 kilograms of value-added dairy sweets. The geographic breakdown of the seizures highlighted widespread supply chain vulnerabilities: inspectors confiscated 210 liters of raw milk in Mumbai, 1,266 liters of cow’s milk from two processing facilities in Ahilyanagar, 238 liters of mixed milk in Jalgaon, and 238 liters of suspected adulterated buffalo milk in transit in Latur. Samples from all seized batches were collected and dispatched to state laboratories for chemical and microbiological analysis to isolate specific adulterants.
The single largest enforcement action occurred at Gautam Dugdhalaya in Ghatkopar, where the FDA seized 530 kilograms/liters of raw milk, basundi, and ice cream valued at ₹2.79 lakh. Regulators immediately suspended the establishment’s operating license after uncovering severe labeling violations, highly unhygienic raw material storage conditions, and a total failure to maintain the mandatory cold chain required for highly perishable dairy products. This localized action underscores a growing regulatory focus on retail-level handling and processing hygiene.
Beyond primary dairy products, the scope of the FDA’s enforcement blitz extended to general grocery items and edible oil trading hubs. At the APMC Spice Market in Vashi, officials seized 9,630 kilograms of rajgira, mustard, flaxseed, and sabja seeds valued at ₹9.76 lakh over suspected quality and misbranding violations. Concurrently, in Nanded, the agency confiscated 31,096 individual pouches of refined soybean oil worth ₹13.53 lakh due to serious labeling non-compliance, reflecting a broad effort to address mislabeling across the cooking-medium sector.
The high-value core of the overall ₹67 lakh seizure came from the agency’s parallel campaign against banned tobacco derivatives. The FDA registered eight First Information Reports (FIRs) and arrested 13 individuals involved in the illegal distribution of prohibited gutkha and pan masala, confiscating contraband valued at ₹41.06 lakh and impounding transport vehicles. As the department reviews the laboratory results of the seized milk, consumer groups are urging the state government to mandate permanent third-party quality audits and stricter penal actions to prevent recurring contamination in the state’s fluid milk supply.
Source: The Indian Express
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