Maharashtra FDA suspends licences of 105 food firms and seizes Rs 1.35 crore of products ahead of Diwali
A two-day inspection drive by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration resulted in the suspension of licences for 105 food businesses and the seizure of about 39.5 tonnes of food items worth Rs 1.35 crore.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carried out a two-day crackdown on November 4-5, suspending licences for 105 food businesses across the state and seizing nearly 39.5 tonnes of food items valued at roughly Rs 1.35 crore. The seized goods included dairy products such as mawa, khoa, paneer and ghee, as well as edible oils, farsan, dry fruits and assorted sweets.
Seven establishments were ordered to shut down after inspectors found multiple food-safety violations. The closures included three outlets in Pune, two in Amravati, and one each in Mumbai and the Konkan region. Among the businesses affected were quick-commerce platforms Zepto (Worli) and Blinkit, as well as restaurant chains Biryani By Kilo, Tossin Pizza (Worli) and Jumbo Burger.
Rajdhani Biryani Centre in Borivali was ordered to cease operations completely for breaching Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules, while a D-Mart outlet in Nagpur had refined soybean oil seized for violating licence conditions.
The FDA’s statement listed the distribution of suspended licences: 39 establishments in the Nashik division, 28 in Mumbai, 20 in Pune, 15 in Amravati, two in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and one in Thane. Inspectors cited unhygienic manufacturing and storage, improper handling and packaging, inadequate pest control, lack of temperature-control measures and failure to maintain required records and certificates.
"Businesses that jeopardise public health will face strict action, including possible life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 10 lakh for selling unsafe food that causes death," said FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe.