Mumbai: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of 19 food businesses as part of a special campaign against food adulteration and violations of food safety regulations during the festive season. During the operation, food products weighing approximately 53.3 lakh kg and worth Rs 1.9 crore were also seized from various establishments, including a super distributor of Patanjali Ayurved.
In an official statement issued on Monday, the FDA said action was taken against 114 establishments across seven divisions of the state.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the department seized Patanjali cow ghee worth Rs 20.20 lakh, amounting to 2,279.7 litres, from M/s Divya Mahavatarik, a super distributor of Patanjali Ayurved. The ghee was suspected of being adulterated and incorrectly labelled.
According to the department, a total of 4,032 packets of ghee were seized. These included 2,998 packets containing 1,349.1 litres, valued at Rs 12.29 lakh, and 1,034 packets containing 930.6 litres, worth Rs 7.91 lakh. Preliminary investigations found the stock to be in violation of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The FDA also suspended the licences and registrations of 19 business establishments in the Mumbai, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions, including manufacturers of savouries, sweets and spices. Inspections revealed poor hygiene, improper storage of food products, inadequate pest-control measures, absence of cleaning records, failure to maintain mandatory documents and violations of prescribed food safety standards.
The department seized 1,44,218 kg of edible oil from Avenue Supermarts Ltd in Bhiwandi, Thane district. It also confiscated 20,560 kg of rice, pulses, jaggery and other food products from Amin Traders in Satara. Edible oil was additionally seized from Swati Oil Mills in Satara and SG Traders in Solapur, under the Pune division.
According to the FDA, prohibited food products worth Rs 79.40 lakh were seized from 17 establishments between October 28 and 31. During this period, 13 FIRs were registered, 16 people were arrested, seven establishments were sealed and six vehicles were seized.
In addition, inspections were conducted at 34 hotels, restaurants and roadside eateries across the Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions. Notices directing corrective action were issued to 29 establishments for deficiencies in hygiene and food safety standards.
The FDA clarified that all these actions were carried out under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the relevant regulations.
Meanwhile, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued show-cause notices to Tata 1mg Marine Collagen Powder, Tata 1mg Healthcare Solutions, ACFO Pharmaceuticals, Amazon Seller Services and Flipkart India over alleged violations in the labelling and advertising of the product. The companies have been directed to submit their responses within 30 days.