Ever since Tukaram Mundhe took over as the Maharashtra food safety body’s commissioner, the regulator has relentlessly kept food businesses on their toes. Nobody can tell where the food safety officials would turn up next, find violations, and hand over a licence suspension notice.

However, after months of relentless crackdown against food adulteration, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced a year-round “Festival Enforcement Calendar” to systematically target food adulteration during festivals, fairs, urus and religious events across the state – and this is a first for Maharashtra.

FDA calendar: Who can be targeted next?

The standing order divides festivals into three tiers based on their scale and geographical spread and lists, in advance, the foods to be checked, likely adulterants, sampling plans and enforcement action.

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The enforcement cycle will begin 21 days before a festival and continue for up to 30 days.

The first phase will involve identifying risk areas, gathering intelligence, forming squads, and ensuring testing kits, reagents, and laboratory capacity are available.

Fourteen days before the festival, the officers will inspect manufacturing units, mills, markets, cold stores, godowns and wholesale markets, and also check transportation during night and early-morning hours.

During the festival, the FDA officials will carry out market surveillance, inspections, and on-the-spot testing.

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After the festival, the FDA will follow up on the laboratory reports, prosecution, and disposal of seized food.

Risk categories: The FDA has identified 11 high-risk categories, including milk and dairy products, meat, sweets, fasting foods, edible oil, fruits, dry fruits, gram flour, water and ice, bakery products, food sold through e-commerce and imported food.


Fasting foods such as bhagar, kuttu, singhada flour, sago and rajgira will also be tested for mycotoxins.

Milk and dairy products will be tested during their early-morning movement, while meat outlets, cold chains and slaughterhouses will face enhanced scrutiny during Eid.

The FDA will test frying oil for total polar compounds (TPC) before and during major festivals. Those with more than 25 per cent TPC will be destroyed.

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Sweet shops will be checked for unauthorised colours and adulterated silver leaf. Anyone found using newspapers or printed paper for food wrapping will face FDA action.

Special checks will be conducted at bakeries, restaurants, and quick-commerce warehouses.

Food served collectively at mahaprasad, iftar, annachhatra, langar and bhandara will also be checked. Organisers must use licensed caterers and provide advance intimation to the FDA.