Tukaram Mundhe said the rules apply to promoters as well as advertisers, while the FDA is also taking action against manufacturers and sellers.

Updated on: Aug 26, 2026, 16:09:40 IST

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Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, who has made headlines for his massive crackdown on food businesses for flouting norms, has responded to criticism over his show-cause notices to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Kha, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff for participating as brand endorsers for Vimal, allegedly a tobacco product.

He cited food safety and advertisement rules in response to the criticism of his action against celebrities, which said the notices were aimed at gaining publicity. He reiterated that the notices were issued under an existing rule and not on his personal discretion.

Mundhe on show-cause notice to celebs

Mundhe cited law which holds the advertisers and promoters equally responsible for what is being promoted. He also noted that whatever is being promoted has to be truthful and in line with FSSAI norms.

“The notices which have been sent are about surrogate advertising. Now, there’s a rule to that. As per 2018 Advertising and Claims regulation, it casts equal responsibility on the advertiser or promoter. Whatever you’re promoting has to be truthful. This act hasn’t come from me. It’s a 2018 regulation in the Food sector, being implemented since 2019," Mundhe said in an interview with Prakhar Gupta on his YouTube channel.

The FDA had earlier said that the campaign could be a surrogate or indirect promotion of prohibited pan masala/tobacco-related products,.

“In this surrogacy ad, the brand is associated with something misleading,” he said, indicating that a banned product was being promoted through such advertisements." Mundhe made the remarks, citing the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018.

He said that the responsibility falls upon those who endorse a particular product. “The responsibility is cast upon those who endorse it, including its implied meaning. It’s written down very clearly. So, if they’re endorsing something, it’s the responsibility of the endorser to ensure it complies with the FSSAI norms and regulations. And it’s written you can be fined upto ₹10 lakh. You have to withdraw it or other actions can follow," he said.

SRK, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff in soup over Vimal ad

In the notice dated August 11, 2026, the FDA had given SRK, Devgn and Shroff 15 days of time. Following this, Mundhe had said that a fine of up to ₹10 lakh, and even action under the FSSAI Act's clauses about prohibited items, would be taken against the trio if their responses to notices over the Vimal Elaichi advertisements are unsatisfactory.

In an earlier interview with news agency PTI, Mundhe had noted that regulations apply to everyone involved in creating, publishing or sponsoring advertisements and claims, noting that "everybody across the chain is responsible".

He said the FDA's response was based on regulations concerning misleading claims, including surrogate advertisements. Referring to pan masala and tobacco-related products, the FDA commissioner said a prohibitory order has been in place in Maharashtra against gutkha, pan masala and related tobacco items since 2012.

He said any representation, whether physical, electronic, through social media or other media, which states, implies or suggests a claim that is not true is not allowed. “Advertisers found violating the provisions would be issued notices and asked to explain why action should not be initiated against them. Everybody across the chain is responsible. It applies to all… Nobody is going to be spared, whether rural or urban. Those who sell, those who possess, those who process, those who manufacture, it is applicable to all," he said, adding that the department was also trying to invoke provisions of the organised crime law.

He said the advertisement for a Vimal product was being examined as a possible surrogate advertisement for a prohibited product, noting that the company had also been found selling gutkha earlier. "The issue is about Food Safety and Standards Regulations implementation. One of the regulations is about advertisement and misleading claims," he said, adding that the regulation came into existence in 2018 and came into force from July 1, 2019.

FDA's big crackdown on food businesses

Mundhe's crackdown has led the suspension of food permits of four Pizza Hut outlet, among others, in recent weeks, and has also targeted cricket clubs, hotels and well-known restaurants in over 3,000 raids since he took over as Maharashtra's food safety chief in May, according to Reuters.

"Those who try to not comply, they will face what is expected from the regulator," Mundhe was quoted as saying. "You are dealing with the lives of people."

The report also cited data which indicated that each year since 2020, Indian food inspectors have examined over 100,000 food samples and found roughly 20% to be unsafe, substandard or lacking proper labels, government data shows. Nearly 8,000 food business licenses have been cancelled in the last three years.

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