Pre-Deepavali food checks: Maharashtra FDA suspends 105 licences, cancels seven
Inspectors found lapses in hygiene, storage and manufacturing. Across its festival drives, the FDA says it has seized food worth crores and acted against hundreds of businesses.
Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended 105 food business licences and cancelled seven after inspections across the State ahead of Deepavali, The Hindu reported on 7 November. Inspectors found violations of hygiene, storage, manufacturing and licensing rules.
The action is part of a wider festival crackdown, and the FDA’s totals vary with the drive being counted. One report on 5 November said the agency had suspended or acted against 954 food businesses during its Diwali-linked inspections and seized stock worth ₹63.45 crore. A separate drive on spices and condiments, between 23 and 28 October, led to licence suspensions at 94 establishments and 557 improvement notices. Inspectors are also watching consignments of khoa (mawa) coming in from other States, since demand for milk sweets peaks during the festival and adulterated khoa is a common problem.
How to buy safely
- Buy sweets from shops that display their FSSAI licence or registration number.
- For loose sweets, look for the “best before” date, which shops are required to display on the tray.
- Avoid sweets with unnaturally bright colours, and khoa that smells sour or feels rubbery.
- Complaints can be made to the State FDA or through the Food Safety Connect app of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
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