Mumbai/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized food products worth Rs 9.01 crore and suspended the licences or registrations of 19 food business operators during a special festive-season enforcement drive across the state, the agency said in a statement issued on Monday, news agency IANS reported.

Source: IANS via Hi India

The drive covered 114 establishments across all seven administrative divisions of Maharashtra and led to the seizure of approximately 3.53 lakh kg of food articles, according to the FDA statement cited by NDTV Profit. Officials said the action was aimed at curbing adulteration and unsafe food sales ahead of Diwali, when demand for sweets, dairy products, edible oils and snacks rises sharply.

Source: NDTV Profit via BizzBuzz

Rs 9.01 croreValue of food products seized statewide
114Establishments covered across seven divisions
19Licences or registrations suspended
3.53 lakh kgFood articles seized in the drive

Patanjali ghee detained in Sambhajinagar

The most closely watched single action was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where officials seized 2,279.7 litres of Patanjali cow ghee, valued at Rs 20.20 lakh, from M/s Divya Mahavitarak, a super distributor of Patanjali Ayurved located in the Sundarwadi area. The stock comprised 4,032 units in two batches — 2,998 units containing 1,349.1 litres and valued at Rs 12.29 lakh, and 1,034 units containing 930.6 litres and valued at Rs 7.91 lakh.

Source: Maharashtra FDA statement via Urban Acres

The FDA said the ghee stock was seized under Section 38(1)(c) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, on suspicion of misbranding and adulteration, and that it was prima facie found to be in violation of the Act. The seizure is an allegation-stage action: it does not by itself establish that the ghee was adulterated, and the final outcome will depend on laboratory testing and regulatory proceedings.

19 licences suspended over hygiene lapses

The 19 suspended operators include namkeen, sweetmeat and spice manufacturing units in the Mumbai, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions. The FDA cited serious hygiene and food safety deficiencies, including unhygienic operating conditions, improper storage, inadequate pest-control measures and a lack of cleaning records.

Source: Mirror Now

In a separate enforcement phase between October 28 and 31, the FDA also seized banned food articles worth Rs 79.40 lakh from 17 establishments, according to the agency's statement.

The FDA, led by Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, said the drive was part of its effort to prevent the sale of unsafe and substandard food during the festive season. What happens next will be decided by the test reports on the seized samples and the proceedings against the suspended operators.