Mumbai: FDA plans 12-month festival calendar to crack down on food adulteration

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said that he has planned a 12-month calendar mapping enforcement action against food adulteration around festivals.

Although he did not provide the details of the plans for now, Mundhe pointed out that the calendar is aimed at making the FDA’s anti-adulteration drive more structured and festival-specific, as food consumption — and the risk of adulteration — rises sharply around major celebrations. 

“I have prepared a 12-month calendar plan for all the festivals and the action against adulteration and other things,” Mundhe said. Tukaram Mundhe was interacting with the media at the Mumbai Press Club on Wednesday, which was attended by around 208 journalists. 

[popcorn number="May 25" desc="Day FDA launched the drive" class="Default"]

Festival checks

The move is significant, as festivals routinely bring a surge in demand for sweets, milk and milk products, edible oils, spices, snacks, and other food items — categories that have repeatedly come under the FDA scanner for adulteration and other violations. 

Mundhe’s official calendar is far more revealing: 12 months, multiple festivals, and a planned FDA crackdown on adulteration.Instead of waiting for complaints or conducting enforcement drives only after violations come to light, the calendar would allow the department to identify vulnerable food categories and intensify checks around specific festivals.

Mundhe justifies crackdown

Justifying the crackdown, Mundhe said the FDA does not focus on excuses given by establishments but acts on “facts.” He claimed that the agency’s actions are non-discriminatory and have led to improvement in food quality.

“I don’t focus on the excuses given by establishments. I ask my officers to look at the facts,” he told reporters. “We don’t discriminate among hotels, restaurants, etc. We focus on the high-risk category. The department had also taken action against five-star establishments,” he added. 

While Mundhe’s work calendar is packed with festival-wise crackdowns, the commissioner says trekking in the Himalayas and reading are his favourite hobbies.

Raids so far…

The FDA on May 25 launched an intense, statewide food safety crackdown. According to Mundhe, the FDA has so far inspected more than 3100 food business operators and around 100 establishments in the drug sector, resulting in the suspension of 165 licences and the issuance of around 450 improvement notices.

With Agency Inputs

* This article was originally published here