Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 26 (ANI): Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Wednesday said ensuring safe food is a shared responsibility of citizens, food businesses and regulators, while outlining the department's enforcement measures and plans ahead of the festive season.
Consumers must be more alert while purchasing food products and medicines and should not hesitate to ask questions about what they are buying, Mundhe said, addressing the 'Meet the Press' conference at the Mumbai Press Club here. He urged people to check ingredients, manufacturing and expiry dates, best-before dates and details about how a product has been prepared or processed before making a purchase.
Mundhe said officers would come and go, but rules and systems should remain. He said the FDA's broader mission was to build a sustainable regulatory mechanism under the banner of 'Safe Food, Safe Drug, Safe Maharashtra.'
He said consumers should be as careful while buying food and medicines as they are while purchasing clothes or other products, adding that buying food without knowing its quality or authenticity could have health consequences.
On the sale of loose edible oil, Mundhe clarified that the restrictions in Maharashtra were not the result of a new order. He said rules regulating the sale of loose edible oil have been in place since 2011 and followed earlier regulations aimed at preventing adulteration. He also referred to a 1998 incident in Delhi involving adulterated edible oil in which around 40-50 people died.
Mundhe said some samples of loose edible oil tested in Maharashtra were found to contain arsenic, highlighting the need for strict monitoring of food products.
The FDA commissioner said that more than 3,100 food business operators had been inspected until July 31, while around 100 establishments in the drug sector had also been inspected. He said 165 licences had been suspended or seized and more than 750 establishments had been issued improvement notices.
Of the 165 suspended establishments, more than 100 had appealed before the authorities by the end of July. Around 70 had been granted relief after inspections and verification of corrective measures, while the remaining cases were under consideration.
Mundhe said establishments whose licences are suspended must first rectify violations before seeking relief. FDA officials conduct fresh inspections and verify the improvements before a decision is taken. Where violations remain unresolved, suspension can continue and further action, including cancellation of licences, may follow.
On milk safety, Mundhe said it would not be appropriate to declare all milk either safe or unsafe, as its quality depends on the particular supplier and source. He said monitoring of farmers, milk collection centres, chilling centres and manufacturers had increased, with efforts also underway to digitally track the milk supply chain.
Mundhe also highlighted restrictions on High Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) foods around schools. He said regulations governing food sold in and around schools have been in place since 2020, with implementation beginning in 2021. The restrictions prohibit the sale, advertisement, manufacture, transportation and storage of HFSS products within 50 metres of schools.
According to Mundhe, the initiative has received positive feedback from schools, parents and students, with many schools changing their menus.
He said the FDA was also taking action against pharmacies violating licensing and drug-sale requirements. Pharmacies are required to have qualified pharmacists, follow prescription rules and maintain appropriate storage conditions. Citizens can submit complaints through the FDA's portal, myfda.in, he said.
Mundhe further said diagnostic laboratories currently do not come under the FDA's regulatory framework and that discussions were underway on the issue.
Ahead of the festive season, he said the FDA had prepared a 12-month calendar covering major festivals and planned regulatory action before, during and after each occasion. He urged citizens to limit their consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar during festivals and give greater priority to nutritious food. (ANI)
Maharashtra: Safe food a shared responsibility, not just FDA's job, says Tukaram Mundhe
