Patanjali cow ghee seized in Maharashtra (Representative image)
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized food products worth over Rs 9 crore, including more than 2,200 litres of Patanjali cow ghee from a super distributor in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and suspended the licences of 19 food business operators during a special festive-season enforcement drive. In a statement issued on Monday, the FDA said it confiscated around 3.53 lakh kg of food articles, valued at Rs 9.01 crore, from 114 establishments across seven divisions of the state during the campaign. The stock was prima facie found to be in violation of provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the agency said. The FDA suspended the licences and registrations of 19 establishments, including namkeen, sweetmeat and spice manufacturing units in the Mumbai, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions, over serious hygiene lapses and violations of food safety regulations. The festive-season drive also led to the seizure of 1,44,218 kg of edible oil from Avenue Supermarts Ltd in Bhiwandi in Thane district. In Satara, the agency seized 20,560 kg of rice, pulses, jaggery and other food articles from Amin Traders.
Other violations included failure to maintain mandatory documentation and non-compliance with prescribed food safety standards, the FDA said. The establishments were found to have deficiencies such as unhygienic operating conditions, improper food storage, inadequate pest-control measures and a lack of cleaning records.