Mumbai, Oct 12 (PTI) The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized 9,675 kg of edible oil worth Rs 21.94 lakh, destroyed or confiscated thousands of litres of milk and several kilograms of dairy products along with banned gutkha, pan masala and scented tobacco worth Rs 1.44 crore, officials said on Monday.
The total value of seizures during the statewide crackdown on food safety violations was Rs 1.73 crore, while 10 FIRs were registered and six persons arrested, the FDA said in a statement.
The drive covered eateries, milk processing units, edible oil traders and food product establishments across several divisions of Maharashtra.
In Palghar district, FDA officials seized banned gutkha, pan masala and scented tobacco worth Rs 1.30 crore from a truck intercepted near Hotel Manor Gate on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway on October 9.
The vehicle, costing Rs 20 lakh, was also seized, taking the total value of the seizure to Rs 1.51 crore. An offence was registered against the driver, cleaner and six others, the FDA said in its statement.
In Nashik division, banned food products worth Rs 11.39 lakh and a vehicle of Rs 8 lakh were seized on October 11.
“One FIR was registered and one person arrested. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, banned stock worth Rs 27,049 and a vehicle valued at Rs 50,000 were seized, while two persons were arrested. Nagpur division officials seized banned products worth Rs 1.72 lakh from two establishments and arrested three persons after registering two FIRs,” said the statement.
The FDA also cracked down on milk and milk product units in Taloja in Raigad district on October 8 and 9, destroying or confiscating 6,532 litres/kg of dairy products worth Rs 3.88 lakh.
At Sawariya Milk and Milk Products, 5,394 litres of milk worth Rs 2.76 lakh were destroyed over concerns about its source, suspected mixing of skimmed milk and the absence of a valid licence. The unit supplied milk to around 68 food business operators daily, the statement said.
At Maheshwari Foods, 119 kg of paneer worth Rs 30,340 was destroyed after a lizard was found in the production room, it said.
“At Royal Foods, 1,019 kg of curd worth Rs 81,536 was kept in safe custody following discrepancies between nutritional information on the label and laboratory analysis. The licences or registrations of all three establishments were suspended,” the FDA said.
Inspections on October 10 and 11 led to the seizure of 9,675.2 kg of edible oil worth Rs 21.94 lakh from six establishments across Pune, Solapur and Sangli districts, it added. The three districts are part of the FDA’s Pune division.
Also in Pune division, action was taken against seven hotels and dhabas for violating hygiene requirements, while four establishments operating without licences or registrations were directed to stop business, the statement added.
The largest quantity, 4,540 kg of oil worth Rs 7.71 lakh, was seized from Tulsi Agency in Tasgaon in Sangli district, the FDA said.
“Officials seized 2,109 kg worth Rs 6.73 lakh from Rameshlal and Sons and 1,061 kg worth Rs 6.38 lakh from Bansal Trading Company, both in Pune’s Gultekdi Market Yard. Seizures were also made from traders in Akkalkot and Mangalwedha in Solapur and Miraj in Sangli district,” the statement said.
In Ahilyanagar district, the FDA seized 2,065 kg of Kohinoor-branded jaggery worth Rs 1.73 lakh from two establishments in Shendi. The stock was suspected to be adulterated and substandard, and its labels did not carry manufacturing or expiry dates.
In Mumbai, the FDA suspended the food safety licences of Brijwasi in Malad West and Zepto Limited in Bhandup due to deficiencies and violations of hygiene and sanitary requirements. PTI ND BNM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.