Food safety chief Tukaram Mundhe’s plan for festivals in Maharashtra

As Maharashtra heads into a packed festive season, the state’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is stepping up checks on everything from food served at public gatherings to medicines sold across pharmacies, insisting that enforcement is about public safety and not putting curbs on celebrations.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe clarified that the department’s recently introduced year-round Festival Enforcement Calendar was designed to prevent food adulteration during festivals and other large gatherings, where demand for sweets, edible oils, dairy products and other food items typically rises.

“We are not regulating festivals; we are ensuring that food served at festivals – just as in weddings, bhandaras, Eid, Christmas, New Year’s Eve events and other gatherings — is safe and compliant with a law that has existed since 2011,” Mundhe told PTI.

But food safety is only one part of the department’s recent enforcement drive. According to PTI reports, between June and August this year, the Maharashtra FDA took regulatory action against 880 drug manufacturing and sales businesses and seized illegal drugs and cosmetics worth Rs 11.41 crore, according to figures released by the department on Monday.

During the three-month period, officials conducted 2902 inspections, covering 607 manufacturing units and 2295 sales establishments. The action resulted in the suspension of 677 licences and cancellation of 203 licences.

The department also conducted 104 search and seizure operations and registered 20 FIRs in cases involving illegal drugs and cosmetics. Of the establishments facing regulatory action, 140 were manufacturers while 740 were drug sales establishments.

The violations detected ranged from the manufacture of substandard and unauthorised medicines to gaps in quality-control procedures and production records. Officials also found medicines being sold without the supervision of registered pharmacists and without bills.

The scale of enforcement has also increased compared with the previous financial year. The FDA reported a 557% rise in complaints, a 378% increase in complaint investigations, a 217% rise in search and seizure operations and a 234% increase in the value of goods seized.

The value of illegal drugs and cosmetics seized during the three-month period was lower than the Rs 13.64 crore seized during the entire previous financial year. Mundhe said the department’s focus was not simply on penalty but to ensuring that products reaching consumers met prescribed safety and quality standards.

The commissioner said establishments that comply with regulations would be supported, while those violating the rules would continue to face strict action.