The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Maharashtra has implemented a new system to prevent food adulteration during the holiday season. A standing order was issued for all upcoming holidays, and the 'Festival Enforcement Portal' was launched.
The division's objective is to monitor adulterated and unsafe food products. This new system is designed to make the process of taking action faster, more transparent, and timely.
According to the FDA, demand for certain products sharply increases during holidays, including modak, peda, hoiya, cheese, ghee, milk, yogurt, vegetable oil, and dry fruits. Demand also rises for products such as bhagar, sabudana, and rajgira during fast days. The risk of counterfeit and unsafe goods appearing on the market increases due to the rapid growth in demand over a short period, which is why the FDA introduced a permanent system for all holidays throughout the year.
All information will be available online on the 'Festival Enforcement Portal' for holidays ranging from Makar Sankranti to Christmas. Holidays are categorized into three levels: level-1 includes public holidays, level-2 includes regional holidays, and level-3 includes local holidays.
During holidays, communities can submit information about public catering events, such as bhandara, annachatra, and mahaprasad, online, eliminating the need to visit the FDA office. After submitting an application online, one can track the deployment of staff and the results of on-site inspections.
The FDA reported that staff will be assigned to 90 zones across the state. 3198 applications related to bhandara, annachatra, and mahaprasada have already been received on the portal. Food safety specialists conducted unscheduled inspections at 383 locations based on risk assessment. During these inspections, communities were given necessary guidance regarding food preparation areas, drinking water, raw material quality, food storage, and staff hygiene.
Inspection of 3068 Food Establishments
The FDA conducted inspections of 3068 food enterprises across Maharashtra between September 1 and September 23. Upon discovering deficiencies, 1506 establishments received a notice requiring rectification. In cases of serious violations, the licenses of 248 establishments were suspended, and 12 licenses were revoked. Additionally, 455 cases were registered under Section 69 of the Food Act, of which 398 have already been settled. Fines totaling 53.60 lakh rupees were imposed for these cases.
The FDA asserts that the risk-based inspection ensures the effective utilization of existing personnel by focusing more attention on places where there is an increased risk of adulteration or threat to food safety.