Food Safety

FSSAI has initiated penal action against five e-commerce platforms over product claims, information and the listing of prohibited food articles under food safety regulations

Recent action against unsafe food, spurious drugs has drawn public attention, with former regulators arguing that credible oversight requires not just rules and warnings but consistent follow-through

From testing raw materials to holding batches and conducting mock recalls, food companies are building systems to catch problems related to products before they reach consumers

The regulator alleges prohibited promotional claims in two infant nutrition products and says a follow-up formula sample failed to meet the prescribed biotin requirement

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday said it has suspended the licences of Cafe Mondegar, a popular restaurant, and three other food establishments in Mumbai after inspections found serious food safety and hygiene violations. The FDA inspected Cafe Mondegar at Metro House in Colaba on September 12 and found serious deficiencies in safety and hygiene, including failure to keep hot food above the prescribed 60 degrees Celsius and cold storage below 5 degrees Celsius, the regulator said in a release. Officials found improper thawing of food, inadequate rapid cooling of cooked food and sanitation and structural deficiencies at the restaurant that posed a risk of cross-contamination. The state agency also suspended the licences of Maharashtra Biryani Centre in Kandivali East, Tribhuvan Dairy Farm in Ghatkopar West and Mahavir Cashew & Foods Pvt Ltd in Ghatkopar East after inspections found violations of Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. Schedule .

The regulator issued 5,269 improvement notices, suspended 603 licences and arrested 875 people during enforcement action conducted between June and August

Food safety authorities can suspend a restaurant licence over violations, but the law lays down a process for rectification, appeals and cancellation

From unclean production areas to suspected licensing and labelling violations, FDA inspections at 11 Thane units found several food safety concerns

FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani says food companies must comply with regulations and ensure labels accurately reflect products, as consumer complaints and state enforcement rise

The announcement came as India's federal and state food regulators pursued an aggressive enforcement drive, with surprise raids on eateries uncovering poor hygiene and leading to many forced closures

FSSAI's proposed front-of-pack warning labels face a Supreme Court challenge over phased implementation, nutrient thresholds, sugar and fat metrics, and exemptions for honey and jaggery

Federal and state officials have raided clubs, restaurants and big brands such as Domino's and McDonald's as part of a nationwide enforcement crackdown in recent months.

Inspections led by FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe uncovered poor sanitation, choked drains and gaps in food-safety records across several Mumbai establishments

Intensified inspections, licence suspensions and a proposed front-of-pack warning label are putting restaurants and India's more than $100-bn packaged food industry under growing regulatory scrutiny

The food delivery platform has also introduced a dedicated Food Safety channel within its in-app Help section, allowing customers to flag concerns over orders

The initiative comes amid increased regulatory scrutiny of food businesses, including restaurants, food delivery and quick-commerce platforms.

The FSSAI said that Old Monk's label lists artificial and nature-identical rum flavouring substances that alter its natural characteristics

FSSAI's sweeping crackdown on food companies signals a tougher regulatory era, putting safety, labelling and advertising practices under sharper scrutiny

Food regulator FSSAI has suspended licences of West Bengal-based companies, Kailash Formulation and Sanecure Water Project, for violation of laws related to hygiene and sanitation. In a social media post on Sunday, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) informed the action taken against these two companies. "Enforcement drives in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, lead to the suspension of FSSAI licenses for Kailash Formulation and Sanecure Water Project due to severe violations of hygiene, sanitation, and compliance standards," the regulator said. On Kailash Formulation, the FSSAI said that the suspension order has been issued for non-conformance to compulsory food safety regulations. "Overall cleaning, hygiene and sanitation of the premises was found to be unsatisfactory. Lack of proper hand-washing, changing and hygiene facilities, along with missing medical examination, inoculation and personal hygiene records for food handlers," the FSSAI said. Moreover, FSSAI said

Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, in the limelight for his sweeping food-safety crackdown across the state, has said that public health, and not personal popularity, is what matters most to him. Asked if his celebrity-like status following the aggressive food safety crackdown across the state is a distraction, Mundhe said, "It is not a distraction. Popularity was never my goal." "What matters to me are issues like public health. This is not about Tukaram Mundhe. This is about India and the goal to improve public health," the senior IAS officer told PTI in an interview. "The food and drugs sector affects public health. If that becomes a public agenda by my actions and role, I will be happy about it," Mundhe said Asked if his aggressive enforcement approach makes him vulnerable to political or administration pressure, Mundhe said, "It is not aggressive. I am doing what I am supposed to do diligently. I have been doing this across my two decades of public service." "I beli