What Fuels Rise In Heart Disease, Cancer? Maharashtra Food Commissioner Explains

The prevalence of communicable diseases has dropped to 30-35 per cent over the years, but during the same period the percentage of non-communicable diseases rose to 65 per cent, according to Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, whose recent actions against unhygienic food handling and storage has propelled him into a hero, with huge appreciation coming from the Gen-Z.

"If you examine these non-communicable diseases, a major contributing factor lies in what we eat and consume. There is a direct correlation here. We have seen a significant rise in conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, all of which are non-communicable," Mundhe said at NDTV Yuva today.

"Often, within a family or neighbourhood, you might hear someone say, 'they developed cancer, even though they didn't smoke, chew tobacco or have any bad habits; they even exercised'. Why did it happen? They didn't consume any prohibited items.

"However, if the food we eat contains carcinogens, that is where food safety and the need for awareness becomes crucial. We need to ask: is what we are consuming safe? Does it meet the required standards? Verifying this is essential," the FDA commissioner said.

He pointed out that these factors had led the government to introduce the Food Safety and Standards Act in 2006, replacing the earlier Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

While the new act still addresses adulteration, it places a greater emphasis on meeting safety and quality standards, he said, adding public awareness regarding this is limited. "Not everyone is informed. It is up to public authorities to reach out to the people," Mundhe said.

#NDTVYuva2026 | "We live in social media age... we should be responsible": Tukaram Mundhe, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, speaks to NDTV's @MinakshiKandwal on social media aura#NDTVYuva pic.twitter.com/vWYV2VukrR

— NDTV (@ndtv) September 28, 2026

The commissioner shared some insights into his way of working that has grabbed the attention of people and the press.

"My approach involves issuing almost daily press notes regarding my actions and occasionally holding press conferences myself. A primary objective of this is to raise public awareness about food safety, standards, health conditions and the correlations between them," he said.

He appealed to people to do more than just gathering awareness because awareness simply conveys information, but it is vital for people to understand the correlations and impacts involved.

"The media and social media play equally significant roles in this regard. I feel we need to focus our efforts here and generate greater awareness. People will understand," Mundhe said.

To another question about his personal life and how he navigates the complexity of his work, Mundhe said fear is a word that's not in his lexicon.

"There is nothing in the world you should fear. The only thing you should fear is doing the wrong thing. That's it," the FDA commissioner said, alluding to the challenges and pressures of his job.

Mundhe has won widespread public admiration across India because he has tapped into deep public frustration. Even though foreign chains such as Domino's and McDonald's are fast expanding, it is local eateries, roadside kiosks and small restaurants - long dogged by concerns over hygiene - that remain hugely popular.

His food safety team's actions go viral often, with raids leading to detailed public statements and graphic images that show interiors of eateries and grocery warehouses with stained walls, crawling cockroaches and rats, and even expired food - photos that have shocked many Indians.