This festive season, Tukaram Mundhe has an eye on your favourite snacks

The Maharashtra FDA has cited extremely unhygienic and unsafe conditions in which the food was being manufactured. (Sourced photos)

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), led by Tukaram Mundhe, has started the festival crackdown. As people in Maharashtra gear up to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri, the food safety regulator, acting on concerns over the quality of the namkeen, banana chips, sev, and other snacks people typically have during the festive season, has seized nearly 29 tonnes of food products, raw materials and edible oil worth Rs 20.48 lakh from 11 establishments in Thane’s Shil-Diva area.

Following a tip-off on September 9, the FDA conducted a surprise inspection at establishments in Bhaskar Compound, Khadi Gaon and found poor-quality stocks of potato wafers, farali chiwda, spicy wafers, mixed farsan, sev, bhakarwadi, banana chips and other products, besides maida, besan, pea flour, palmolein and used cooking oil.

Maharashtra FDA has seized Rs 20.48 lakh worth of farsan, wafers and namkeen from multiple Thane establishments (Sourced photo)

The food safety body said it seized 28,955 kg and 56 litres of food products and raw materials on suspicion of adulteration and poor quality. It also cited extremely unhygienic and unsafe conditions in which the food was being manufactured.

Other violations include establishments running without valid food licences, dirty and greasy production floors, partly open production areas and inadequate drainage. Officials reported stagnant wastewater and foul odours around some premises, along with cockroach and rodent infestation. Workers were also found preparing food without aprons, gloves or head covers.

The department said 28,955 kg and 56 litres of food products and raw materials were seized on suspicion of adulteration and poor quality (Sourced photo)

The FDA has ordered the suspension of licences/registrations of all 11 establishments and directed them to stop operations.

The action comes as Maharashtra enters the festive period, when demand for traditional snacks and sweets typically rises. The FDA has separately asked organisers of mahaprasad, bhandara, langar and other community food distribution programmes to submit advance notice at least seven days before the event so that risk-based inspections and sampling can be carried out.