Maharashtra FDA launches crackdown on food adulteration ahead of festive season

Mumbai, Oct 3 (PTI) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a special state-wide inspection drive to curb adulteration in food items during the festive season, Maharashtra FDA minister Narhari Zirwal said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters, Zirwal said that under the "San Maharashtra Cha — Sankalp Ann Surakshecha" food safety campaign, the department has so far inspected more than 1,594 establishments and collected 2,369 food samples for testing.

Samples of milk, khoya, ghee, edible oil, sweets, dry fruits and chocolates were collected, and of the 554 tested samples, 513 were found to be standard, 26 substandard, four had labelling defects, while 11 were deemed unsafe, he said.

Reports of 1,815 samples are awaited, he added.

The department has completed recruitment for more than 200 vacant posts of Assistant Commissioners (Food) and Food Safety Officers since 2022, the minister said.

He said that a proposal to create 750 new posts has been submitted to the finance department to further strengthen the FDA.

New food testing laboratories in Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Pune have been completed and will be inaugurated soon, he said.

A proposal for 250 additional staff has also been submitted, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio, has sanctioned Rs 200 crore for strengthening laboratory infrastructure, Zirwal said.

He further said that Rs 25 crore has been sanctioned to the Haffkine Institute for the production of polio vaccines and Rs 1.5 crore have been allocated for the production of anti-snake venom.

Medicine prices have dropped due to the GST reforms, he said, adding that strict action will be taken against pharmacies that don't sell products at the revised prices. PTI MR ARU