The Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has launched a statewide campaign to prevent food adulteration before the Diwali season. The campaign is called “Festival of Maharashtra – Commitment to Food Safety”.
As of Saturday, October 4, FDA officers have collected 2,369 food samples from across the state. They have inspected 1,594 confectionery shops. Out of the 554 test reports received, 513 samples were found safe. Eleven samples were declared unsafe for consumption, 26 were found unsatisfactory, and four had labelling errors.
Reports for the remaining 1,815 samples are still awaited. The campaign covers food products, including milk, khoya, ghee, edible oils, sweets, dry fruits, and chocolates. As per reports, the milk adulteration inspection drive will start later.
More than 200 Assistant Commissioners (Food) and Food Safety Officers have been appointed. These posts had been vacant since 2022. Laboratory infrastructure has been upgraded to speed up food testing. New food testing laboratories will soon open in Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Pune.
The FDA has also requested 750 more positions from the Finance Department to support ongoing operations. It has also proposed 250 new lab positions. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar has approved INR 200 crore to support these improvements.
Action will be taken against food and medicine sellers who do not pass on GST benefits to consumers.
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