FDA launches Safe Food campaign across Maharashtra to inspect eateries
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has launched a statewide enforcement drive titled 'Safe Food, Healthy Maharashtra' to inspect food establishments across Mumbai and the wider Maharashtra region. The campaign targets over 1.2 million registered food service providers, including eateries, cloud kitchens, and restaurants, to ensure strict compliance with hygiene and food-handling standards.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Munde issued a stern warning to operators, stating that establishments must either register and comply with the regulations or shut down. Under the existing provisions, failure to follow food storage, cooking, and handling standards could result in penalties of up to ₹10 lakh or life imprisonment.
The enforcement drive was initiated following repeated instances of food safety violations uncovered during routine inspections. These violations included pest-infested kitchens, poor storage, failure to maintain temperature-controlled conditions, reuse of cooking oil, untrained food handlers, and the denial of free drinking water to customers.
As part of the campaign, all eating houses are now required to provide free drinking water to customers. They must also display prominent notices in both Marathi and English informing customers of this facility. While establishments may offer bottled water as an option, the FDA clarified that it cannot replace the provision of free drinking water.
The regulations apply broadly to hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, canteens, catering units, banquet halls, central kitchens, cloud kitchens, and e-commerce food aggregators.
Under the guidelines, food establishments must ensure annual health check-ups for food handlers and maintain strict personal hygiene standards. Spitting and the use of tobacco, gutka, and pan are strictly prohibited in food preparation areas.
Additionally, the FDA reiterated that packing food in newspapers is banned. Establishments must use certified food-grade wrapping materials, such as butter paper, parchment paper, or approved food-safe containers. E-commerce platforms must ensure deliveries are handled by trained personnel using tamper-proof, temperature-controlled packaging.
Other mandatory rules include the separate storage of raw and cooked food, the use of colour-coded chopping boards for vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, and sourcing raw materials solely from licensed suppliers.
Citizens who notice violations can report them to the authorities using the FSSAI helpline (1800-114-000) or the FDA Maharashtra toll-free helpline (1800-222-365).
