Mumbai: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) crackdown on food safety has reached another iconic Mumbai institution, with the licence of the 110-year-old Parsi Dairy Farm at Marine Lines suspended over alleged hygiene and food safety violations.
Market Context
The FDA also inspected the company’s manufacturing unit at Palghar, where officials seized dairy products worth ₹32.1 lakh, including butter, paneer and unlabelled colostrum. Samples have been sent for laboratory analysis.
The action is the latest in a series of high-profile inspections launched since IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe took charge as FDA commissioner in May. In recent weeks, the authority has suspended the licences of popular restaurants such as Noor Mohammadi, Shalimar, Rahmania, and K Rustom & Co Ice Cream Parlour, citing alleged food safety and hygiene violations.
Other raids across city
In Vasai, authorities seized 181 kg of loose paneer from an unregistered dairy unit. At the APMC spice market in Navi Mumbai, officials confiscated 439 kg of green cardamom worth ₹11.24 lakh on suspicion of being substandard and misbranded.
Massive state-wide action
So far, the FDA has seized food stocks worth over ₹1.90 crore during special enforcement drives conducted across the state from July 14-16, targeting dairy units, food manufacturers, hotels, restaurants, pan masala operators and other food businesses.
Company Performance
Inspectors also found raw milk stored along mould-infested walls, a high infestation of houseflies, inadequate preventive nets for rodents and insects, lack of transfer vehicle cleaning details, lack of an effluent treatment plant, and the absence of expiry date details on many products. The outlet has been barred from production, storage, sale and distribution of food products until further orders.
Source
During an inspection on Wednesday, the FDA’s food inspectors found multiple alleged violations, such as mould growth on the walls of milk production areas, poor sanitation, improper storage of raw materials, absence of pest-control measures, lack of an effluent treatment system, incomplete medical records of food handlers, and inadequate product labelling, including missing expiry dates, according to a press note.
According to the statement, the FDA also carried out similar raids at milk-handling units in Goregaon, Mulund, and Govandi. In Mulund, inspectors seized 61.25 kg of cheese, paneer and sweets valued at nearly ₹20,000 over labelling violations and suspected misbranding.
In Goregaon, two milk vendors, Krishna Lingampalli, 48, and Ravi Patikaka, 45, were arrested for allegedly tampering with sealed milk packets before sale. Authorities seized and destroyed 558 litres of milk worth nearly ₹39,500, and registered criminal cases under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Food Safety and Standards Act.
In Govandi, officials destroyed 1,683 litres of loose pasteurised buffalo milk after finding it was being sold in violation of state regulations mandating tamper-evident sealed packaging. A stop-work notice was also issued, and samples were sent for laboratory testing.
According to the FDA, officials have seized 2,317 litres of milk, 30 litres of refined edible oil allegedly used for adulteration, and 6,849.25 kg of dairy products valued at ₹45.78 lakh during a special statewide inspection campaign focused on milk and dairy products on July 14-15.
The department also seized prohibited food products worth ₹1.37 crore in pan masala and gutkha-related cases, registering 11 FIRs and arresting 16 persons. Other food products worth ₹53.10 lakh, weighing nearly 11,948 kg were also seized.
A total of 24 raids were conducted across the state, and 57 hotels, restaurants and roadside eateries were inspected and 27 improvement notices issued for hygiene and food safety violations.
In another operation in Akola, the FDA dismantled an illegal manufacturing unit producing banned food products, including pan masala. Officials seized finished products, raw materials, machinery and packaging materials worth ₹1.23 crore. Legal proceedings have been initiated against those involved.
Further operations in Jalgaon, Malad and Vikhroli resulted in additional seizures of banned food products and criminal cases under relevant provisions of the BNS and the Food Safety and Standards Act.
