Several manufacturers, wholesalers, restaurants and retailers in Maharashtra have been under intense scrutiny over the past two months, owing to a significant increase in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raids in the state at several places.
At the heart of this wave is Officer Tukawam Mundhi, who took charge in May, and since then the campaign against food fraud has increasingly focused.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently suspended the food business license of Mumbai-based Parsi Dairy Farm Pvt Ltd. The action was part of a massive statewide enforcement campaign that reportedly resulted in the seizure of food products worth more than $1.90 Crores.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the chain’s food business license after discovering serious food safety and hygiene violations, officials informed on Thursday, reported news agency PTI.
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The campaign was part of a special statewide inspection drive conducted on July 14 and 15, during which FDA teams inspected dairy units, food manufacturers, restaurants and vendors across Maharashtra, officials added.
Who is Tukaram Munde?
IAS officer Tukaram Munde took charge as Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner on May 25. Since then, the FDA has conducted raids across Maharashtra on wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers and restaurants. In the process, when serious violations were found, licenses were suspended, samples were confiscated, and further such actions were taken, according to an earlier HT report.
The number of transfers he has seen exceeds his years in the industry – 25 transfers in a career that has lasted 21 years so far.
Read also | Tukaram Mundhe’s FDA drive sends a strong message to violators
Meanwhile, earlier, under the ‘Safe Food, Safe Drugs, Safe Maharashtra’ campaign, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration seized stocks of Aciloc 150 and Aciloc 300 worth approx. $2.45 Crores.
Furthermore, the entire brand was ordered to be withdrawn from the market due to deceptive labeling and trademark concerns.
“Any confusion caused by the brand name of a drug among patients, doctors or pharmacists, leading to the wrong drug being distributed, is a matter of grave public health concern,” FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhi said, according to news agency ANI.
He added: “Adherence to regulations governing drug branding, labeling and marketing, while ensuring patient safety, must remain paramount. Safe medicines are a fundamental right of every citizen, and protecting this right is our utmost responsibility.”
Sia’s father faces the wrath of the FDA
Notably, one of the FDA’s actions recently caught attention as the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration issued a notice to a spices and dry fruits shop owned by the family of Siya Goyal, who is currently accused of murdering Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal.
Praveen Goyal, Siya Goyal’s father, told reporters on Thursday that he was cooperating with the murder investigation, but alleged that he and his family were being harassed unnecessarily, according to PTI.
Read also | After lapses in the US Food and Drug Administration’s crackdown on restaurants over food safety, doctors warn of health risks
The store located at Market Yard in the heart of Pune is managed by M/s BG Goyal and Company, a company owned by the Siya Goyal family. Following the FDA inspection, the store was asked to halt business operations until further orders were received.
Sia Goyal, 20, and her alleged boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary, 22, are accused of pushing her fiancé Ketan Agarwal, 25, off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18 during a trip. The case received widespread attention and sent shock waves throughout the country.
A court in Vadgaon Maval in the district on Thursday extended the judicial custody period of Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary.
