Rs 63-crore food seized in Maharashtra before Diwali: What to watch out for

The crackdown extended to supermarkets, e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms and their dark stores. (File)

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized 3,098.46 metric tonnes of food worth Rs 63.45 crore across the state in a two-month drive, as demand for sweets, ghee, dry fruits and festive snacks rises ahead of Diwali, according to FDA data.

The drive, which ran from September 1 to November 3, covered 9,667 food establishments. The FDA suspended 954 food business licences and registrations, began proceedings to cancel 25 more and issued 4,603 improvement notices. It also collected 8,835 food samples for testing.

What was seized

Salt, spices and condiments made up the largest share by value at Rs 21.09 crore, followed by edible oils at Rs 16.31 crore. The FDA also seized milk products, including ghee and khava (mawa), worth Rs 7.63 crore, and dry fruits worth Rs 7.47 crore.

The Diwali push

Most of the seizures came in the last three weeks. In a special Diwali drive from October 15 to November 3, the FDA inspected 3,332 establishments, suspended 326 licences and began proceedings to cancel 15 more. It seized 1,886.44 metric tonnes worth Rs 44.37 crore, about 70 per cent of the total, and collected 3,864 samples.

In Greater Mumbai, the FDA inspected 1,037 establishments, suspended 76 licences and began four cancellation proceedings. It seized 28.745 metric tonnes worth Rs 92.82 lakh.

What to watch out for

The FDA’s inspection checklist flags several problems consumers should look out for:

• Synthetic or adulterated khava
• Vegetable-fat products sold as paneer or ghee
• Non-permitted colours in sweets
• Aluminium foil used instead of silver leaf (chandi warkh)
• Frying oil used repeatedly
• Artificial colour coatings on dry fruits
• Expired products repacked into gift hampers

Online orders too

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The crackdown extended to supermarkets, e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms and their dark stores. The FDA directed that food delivered to consumers must have at least 30 per cent of its shelf life, or 45 days before expiry, left at the time of delivery. Every dark store and fulfilment centre must also hold a separate valid FSSAI licence.