875 arrested, ₹67 crore food stock seized: Inside Tukaram Mundhe's sweeping crackdown on Maharashtra eateries

Maharashtra FDA's three-month crackdown under Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe saw 12,083 inspections, 875 arrests and food stock worth ₹67.20 crore seized, as authorities targeted adulteration, unhygienic kitchens and food safety violations.

Maharashtra's food safety crackdown has gathered remarkable scale under Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, with 875 people arrested and food stock worth around ₹67.20 crore seized during a three-month enforcement drive across the state.

Over 12,000 inspections in three months: Tukaram Mundhe's crackdown numbers

Between June and August 2026, the Maharashtra FDA carried out 12,083 inspections, according to the figures from the crackdown. The operation also led to 655 FIRs, the suspension of 603 food licences and the issuance of 5,269 improvement notices.

The numbers offer a measure of the scale of an enforcement campaign that has increasingly put restaurants, food manufacturers, roadside eateries and quick-commerce facilities under scrutiny.

Mundhe's FDA has adopted an aggressive approach towards food safety violations, with inspections extending beyond small establishments to prominent restaurants, institutional kitchens and warehouses operated by major food-delivery and quick-commerce businesses.

Recent inspections have exposed a range of serious shortcomings, including cockroach and rodent infestations, rotten food, poor sanitation, improper storage and food-handling practices that could increase the risk of contamination. In one crackdown on quick-commerce facilities, the Maharashtra FDA suspended permits for warehouses linked to major platforms after inspections flagged serious hygiene concerns.

Fake paneer and unhygienic kitchens under scrutiny

The wider drive has also focused heavily on suspected adulteration and unsafe food products. Fake paneer, analogue or synthetic dairy alternatives, adulterated milk and concerns surrounding food oils have emerged as key areas of enforcement.

The FDA had earlier taken action against the use of analogue paneer, including suspending the licence of establishments found using the product after the regulator imposed restrictions on its manufacture, storage, distribution and sale in the state.

Food safety concerns have not been confined to one category of establishments. The regulator's inspections have covered hotels, restaurants, canteens, dairies, snack manufacturers and dark stores, reflecting the breadth of Maharashtra's rapidly expanding food economy.

FDA widens crackdown

In recent days, inspections in Mumbai and Thane have continued to uncover unhygienic conditions. A raid on food manufacturing units in Thane found dirty and sticky floors, pest infestations and unsafe storage practices, leading to the seizure of food material worth more than ₹20 lakh.

The crackdown has also reached well-known establishments. The FDA recently suspended the licences of food outlets linked to Mumbai's ISKCON-run Govinda's and other establishments after inspections flagged alleged hygiene and food safety lapses.

For Mundhe, the campaign appears to rest on the principle that the size or profile of an establishment should not determine the level of scrutiny. Earlier enforcement actions have covered everything from roadside food businesses to major commercial kitchens and prominent restaurants.

The scale of the current drive is also consistent with Mundhe's stated emphasis on stricter compliance. In August, he said food businesses that did not comply with the law could not be allowed to continue operating, while acknowledging the challenge of enforcing food-safety standards across Maharashtra's vast and diverse food sector. The three-month numbers now underline how extensive that enforcement push has become.

With more than 12,000 inspections and hundreds of licences suspended, the Maharashtra FDA's campaign has moved beyond isolated raids. It has become a statewide test of how food businesses - from neighbourhood eateries to large commercial operators - respond to a regulator that has made hygiene, labelling, storage and food safety a central enforcement priority.

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