Maharashtra FDA launches enforcement portal to check adulterated food during festivals

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration FDA has issued a permanent standing order for festivals throughout the year to strengthen checks against adulterated and unsafe food while launching a dedicated online Festival Enforcement Portal to track enforcement activitiesThe initiative comes ahead of the festive season when demand for food products such as modak pedha khoa paneer ghee milk curd edible oil and dry fruits rises sharply The demand for fasting foods including bhagar sabudana and rajgira also increases during several festivals the FDA saidFDA flags higher risk of food adulteration during festivalsAccording to the FDA the sharp rise in demand for food products within a short period can increase the risk of adulterated or unsafe products entering the marketThe department said some businesses may attempt to take advantage of the increased demand making inspections and enforcement particularly important during festival periodsComplaints related to food safety violations can be registered through the FDAs online complaint systemKeeping this in mind the Food and Drug Administration has issued a permanent Standing Order for all festivals throughout the year and a dedicated online Festival Enforcement Portal has been launched for its effective transparent and timebound implementation the FDA saidPortal covers festivals from Makar Sankranti to ChristmasThe Festival Enforcement Portal provides information on festivals throughout the year from Makar Sankranti to Christmas the FDA saidThe festivals have been divided into three categories based on their geographical scale Level1 covers statewide festivals Level2 covers regional festivals and Level3 covers local festivalsThe classification is intended to help the department plan inspections and allocate personnel according to the scale and potential foodsafety risks associated with different festivalsMandals can apply online for food distribution eventsThe portal also allows mandals to submit information online about community food distribution events such as bhandara annachhatra and mahaprasad without having to visit an FDA officeThe department said applications submitted through the portal details of the officers assigned to them and the status of onsite inspections can be tracked in real timeDesignated officers will be assigned across 90 zones the FDA saidThe department said it had received 3198 applications through the portal for organising community food distribution eventsRiskbased inspections conducted across MaharashtraThe FDA said Food Safety Officers conducted inspections at 383 locations after assessing the applications and determining the level of riskDuring the inspections officers provided guidance on several aspects of food safety including the condition of cooking areas availability of drinking water quality of raw materials food storage practices and hygiene among food handlersThe department said the riskbased approach allowed its limited manpower to be deployed at locations where the need for inspection was considered higherSeparately the FDA inspected 3068 food establishments across Maharashtra between September 1 and September 231506 establishments receive improvement noticesAccording to the FDA improvement notices were issued to 1506 establishments where deficiencies were detected during inspectionsThe licences of 248 establishments found to have committed serious violations were suspended while 12 licences were cancelled the department saidThe FDA also filed 455 cases under Section 69 of the relevant Act Of these 398 cases were disposed of and penalties amounting to Rs 5360 lakh were recoveredThe department said the enforcement measures were part of its broader effort to monitor food safety during festivals and respond to violations through inspections notices and regulatory actionWith inputs from PTI