PUNE: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized food articles, health supplements and other products worth around Rs 1.9 crore across the state, taken action against 27 establishments and suspended the licences of popular Pune eateries Vaishali and Rupali over hygiene violations.The FDA carried out simultaneous inspections at 17 establishments dealing in health supplements and nutraceuticals across six divisions of the state on November 13, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.Officials seized stocks worth Rs 1.38 crore containing ingredients for which approval applications had been rejected by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, officials said.The inspections were conducted across the Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Nagpur, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions.The FDA found Magnesium Acetyl Taurate and Nicotinamide Mononucleotide being used in health supplements and foods meant for special dietary use, it said.According to the FDA, manufacturers had made these products without securing the necessary approval, while marketers had sold them without mentioning the relevant food category in their licences. The suspected stocks were seized and samples sent to laboratories for testing.The seized health supplements were valued at Rs 57.30 lakh in the Nagpur division, Rs 47.65 lakh in Konkan and Rs 30.57 lakh in the Pune division.The regulator also suspended the food business licences of Hotel Vaishali and Rupali Restaurant on Fergusson College Road in Pune with immediate effect.At Hotel Vaishali, officials found food preparation areas and equipment located close to toilets. Cooked food and batter were stored in an open corridor, while vegetables were not stored properly. The establishment also lacked temperature records and water test reports, the statement said.At Rupali Restaurant, the inspection revealed an unprotected kitchen, waterlogging, inadequate cleaning and improper waste management. Raw and cooked food items were kept uncovered and without proper labels, it said.Both eateries have been barred from conducting any food business, including takeaway and home delivery, until they address the deficiencies, pass a fresh inspection and secure written permission from the FDA, the statement said.In a separate action, the FDA seized 21,004 litres of suspected “substandard edible oil worth Rs 45.95 lakh from an establishment of Avenue Supermarts Limited” in Kolhapur district, the statement said.The department also took action against seven establishments and vehicles involved in storing or selling prohibited food products, including gutka, scented pan masala, scented tobacco and scented supari.Prohibited food stocks worth Rs 3.92 lakh and a goods carrier vehicle were seized. The action covered six establishments in Greater Mumbai and one case in Pune. The FDA registered five offences against seven accused.The combined seizures included health supplements worth Rs 1.38 crore, edible oil worth Rs 45.95 lakh, and prohibited food articles and a vehicle worth Rs 5.92 lakh. The FDA estimated the total value of the seized goods and vehicles at around Rs 1.9 crore.The crackdown was conducted under the ‘Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra’ campaign to safeguard public health, the statement said.The FDA urged manufacturers and sellers to secure the required approvals before manufacturing or selling health supplements and nutraceuticals.It also advised citizens to check product labels, ingredients, licence numbers and expiry or “use by” dates when purchasing such products.(With inputs from PTI)
