Patanjali ghee among food stocks worth ₹9 crore seized by Maharashtra FDA in festive-season crackdown

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of 19 food business operators and seized food articles worth more than ₹9 crore during a special festive-season drive across the state, PTI reported on Monday.

The action included the seizure of 2,279.7 litres of Patanjali cow ghee worth ₹20.20 lakh from a super distributor of Patanjali Ayurved over suspected misbranding and adulteration.

Patanjali ghee seized in Maharashtra

According to an official statement issued on Monday, the FDA seized around 3.53 lakh kg of food articles worth ₹9.01 crore from 114 establishments across seven divisions of Maharashtra.

The agency seized the Patanjali cow ghee from M/s Divya Mahavitarak, a super distributor of Patanjali Ayurved in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The stock included 4,032 units of ghee.

Of these, 2,998 units containing 1,349.1 litres were valued at ₹12.29 lakh, while another 1,034 units containing 930.6 litres were worth ₹7.91 lakh.

The FDA said the stock was prima facie found to be in contravention of provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

19 food businesses face action

The licences and registrations of 19 establishments, including namkeen, sweetmeat and spice manufacturing units in Mumbai, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions, were suspended.

The FDA said these establishments had serious hygiene deficiencies and other food safety violations. The issues included unhygienic conditions, improper food storage, lack of pest control and cleaning records, missing mandatory documents and failure to follow prescribed safety standards.

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The drive also saw 1,44,218 kg of edible oil seized from Avenue Supermarts Ltd in Bhiwandi, Thane district. Another 20,560 kg of rice, pulses, jaggery and other food articles were seized from Amin Traders in Satara.

In Pune division, edible oil was seized from Swati Oil Mills in Satara and S G Traders in Solapur.

FIRs, arrests and more seizures

Between October 28 and 31, banned food articles worth ₹79.40 lakh were seized from 17 establishments.

The FDA said 13 FIRs were registered, 16 persons were arrested, seven establishments were sealed and six vehicles were seized during the period.

The agency also inspected 34 hotels, restaurants and dhabas in Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions. It issued 29 improvement notices over food safety and hygiene deficiencies.

Tata 1mg, Amazon, Flipkart notices

The FDA also said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had issued show-cause notices to Tata 1mg Healthcare Solutions, ACFO Pharmaceuticals, Amazon Seller Services and Flipkart India over alleged violations in the labelling and advertising of Tata 1mg Marine Collagen Powder.

The companies have been asked to submit explanations within 30 days.

The FDA said the action was taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and relevant rules and regulations.

(With inputs from PTI)