‘Don’t seek to paint anybody black or white': Tukaram Mundhe on Maharashtra FDA releasing raid photos

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has said that he does not want to “paint anybody black or white” but only wants consumers to be aware of their surroundings, amid criticisms by restaurateurs over the administration’s practice of releasing photos and videos of raids.

“My purpose is not to paint anybody black or white. It is to let people know what is happening,” Mundhe told The Indian Express.

Mundhe said he is “neither a hero nor a national hero”. “I am a public servant, so I always expect public scrutiny. An issue touching everybody’s plate, heart and health will be discussed. If you don’t act, it will be discussed; if you act, it will be discussed,” he said.

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The state FDA commissioner’s actions in recent months have been marked by a sweeping crackdown on gutkha, adulterated milk, fake paneer and unhygienic eateries, with thousands of establishments facing action. On Friday, the FDA said it has cancelled the drug sale and distribution licences of Cipla Pharma & Life Sciences Ltd's carrying and forwarding (C&F) warehouse at Wadki in Pune over alleged violations.

Earlier this week, the regulatory body suspended the licences of 31 establishments for violating food safety and hygiene norms as part of a festive season crackdown. Amid a backlash, he said: “I am not touching your festivals. I am touching food, which is my jurisdiction.” He called the order “religion-neutral, culture-neutral”.

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He also spoke about his 25 transfers in 21 years, saying this post is no more special than any other. “Every position is special, because whatever role I am assigned I have to do justice to it,” he said.

Having cracked down on analogue paneer, adulterated milk, edible oil and unhygienic restaurants, Mundhe said he is now training his sights on nutraceuticals.

“These are consumed without any prescription. Products claim to contain an ingredient that is not actually there. There are many ill effects, the claims are misleading, and consumption is not as it should be,” Mundhe said, flagging the department’s findings on nutraceuticals so far “disturbing”.

He said the FDA would look at “everything: content, consumption, prescription and selling” of nutraceuticals.

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Mundhe has already ordered a ban on junk food and soft drinks near school campuses, and the FDA said it may invoke provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against organised gutkha syndicates.

The official’s enforcement drive has turned him into something of a folk hero online, with admirers lauding him as a bureaucrat who puts public interest above all else.

“We have to focus on younger ages, because food habits form at the beginning,” the FDA commissioner said. “Next, nutraceuticals will cover the younger generation. This way the complete picture is available to people, to food business operators and licensees, and it is clear to my officers how to proceed, so the impact is larger and better,” he added.