Maharashtra FDA Confiscates 63 Lakh Worth of Food, Suspends 43 Licences

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration completed a major crackdown ahead of Diwali, suspending 43 food‑related licences and seizing food items worth INR 6.309 million (approximately 63 lakh). The operation, conducted on October 6‑7, involved inspections of 73 premises across Greater Mumbai, Konkan, Nashik, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and Amravati. Targets included sweet shops, khoya and paneer manufacturers, snack vendors, dry fruit traders, oil merchants, hotels, clubs, canteens, grocery stores, e‑commerce platforms and caterers. In total, 17,824 kg of food material were confiscated, and 29 establishments had food products taken away. Hazardous perishable goods were destroyed on‑spot under witness supervision. The highest licence suspensions were recorded in Nagpur (18) and Nashik (9), while other regions saw between two and five licences withdrawn. Inspectors flagged multiple breaches such as dirty production and storage practices, absence of window grills, insufficient pest control, and lack of documented food safety management systems. Some businesses were unable to provide water test results, medical certificates for kitchen staff, or purchase invoices. Among those penalised were Blink Commerce Private Ltd., operator of the Blinkit quick‑commerce platform, and the Orient Club in Mumbai. Additional seizures included 3,935 kg of khoya and sweets from two highway trucks, and fines totaling INR 70,000 were levied in five cases under the Food Safety and Standards Act in Borivali and Bhandup. Ten food samples were collected for laboratory analysis.