Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has clarified that the state’s new year-round festival food safety directive is aimed at preventing adulteration and protecting public health, not restricting religious or cultural celebrations. The clarification came after concerns were raised over the scope of the standing order for festivals and large public gatherings.
Mundhe said the directive applies to food served at festivals and other large gatherings across communities. He stressed that the underlying food safety rules are not new and have already been in force for years.
Mundhe told PTI, ‘We are not regulating festivals; we are ensuring that food served at festivals – just as in weddings, bhandaras, Eid, Christmas, New Year’s Eve events and other gatherings – is safe and compliant with a law that has existed since 2011.’
No new festival restrictions
The FDA chief said there had been misunderstanding and apprehension about the standing order. He said, ‘The order does not regulate festivals. It regulates food safety.’
The legal framework covering food safety and the registration and licensing of Food Business Operators has existed since 2011. According to Mundhe, the latest directive does not create a new law, establish a separate licensing system or introduce fresh restrictions specifically for festivals.
The order also does not prohibit bhandaras, prasad, community meals or other forms of food distribution associated with religious and cultural gatherings. It does not restrict Ganapati celebrations or interfere with religious rituals and traditions.
Mundhe said the framework is religion-neutral and festival-neutral. The same food safety requirements are intended to apply to communities and food-service activities without discrimination.
One framework for the entire year
The FDA previously issued food safety directions as individual festivals approached. The new system replaces that approach with a standing framework covering festivals and large gatherings throughout the year.
The administration has described the initiative as a year-round Festival Enforcement Calendar. It is designed to give FDA officers, food vendors, caterers, organisers and Food Business Operators a common set of procedures to follow.
Mundhe said, ‘This reduces ambiguity, prevents arbitrary interpretation and ensures consistent implementation of the law.’
The calendar follows a risk-based approach under which officials can focus inspections on foods that are more vulnerable to adulteration or unsafe handling during periods of high demand.
Checks begin before festivals
The enforcement system is designed to operate in stages rather than limiting inspections to the day of a festival. Planning and surveillance can begin about 21 days before an event, followed by inspections of production and supply points.
Monitoring is expected to intensify closer to festival dates and continue at markets and food-distribution locations during celebrations. Post-festival work can include reports, follow-up inspections and legal action where violations are detected.
Products expected to receive closer scrutiny include milk, paneer, khoya, sweets, ghee and edible oils. Meat products and foods commonly consumed during fasting periods can also come under targeted checks depending on the festival and the associated food-safety risk.
The focus reflects a recurring concern for regulators during festivals, when demand for sweets, dairy products, oils and other widely consumed foods rises sharply. Higher demand can increase the risk of adulteration, poor storage and unsafe handling.
Community meals also covered
The standing framework also covers large-scale community food distribution. Organisers of bhandaras and similar programmes are expected to comply with existing food safety requirements and inform the authorities where applicable.
The FDA has stressed that oversight of community meals is intended to ensure the food distributed to large numbers of people is safe. The framework does not stop religious organisations or communities from holding such events.
Food businesses remain subject to existing registration and licensing requirements. Information required under food safety rules must also be displayed by operators where applicable.
Mundhe said, ‘It is a uniform, year-round SOP for implementing the existing food-safety framework, applicable without discrimination to all communities, all festivals and all food-service activities.’
FDA intensifies adulteration crackdown
The clarification comes as the Maharashtra FDA continues a wider campaign against adulteration, hygiene violations and food-labelling irregularities under Mundhe. Inspections have covered restaurants, food manufacturers, warehouses and other businesses across the state.
In a recent operation in Navi Mumbai, authorities uncovered an alleged scheme involving the alteration of expiry dates and labels on branded packaged food and beverages. The FDA and Navi Mumbai Police carried out action over several days in late August.
Products linked to major brands, including Maggi noodles, Lay’s chips and other packaged goods, were found during the operation. Investigators also recovered equipment and materials allegedly used to erase original information and apply replacement labels.
The licence of the business involved was suspended as authorities examined the supply chain and the alleged movement of relabelled products. The case added to a series of enforcement actions undertaken by the state regulator in recent months.
Enforcement has also faced legal scrutiny
Some recent FDA actions have faced challenges in the Bombay High Court, which has examined whether proper legal procedure was followed in individual cases. The disputes have focused on enforcement process and the opportunity given to affected businesses to respond.
The court recently intervened in proceedings involving establishments at the Mumbai Cricket Association premises in Bandra-Kurla Complex. In another matter involving Cipla Pharma Life Sciences, the court directed the FDA to withdraw a licence cancellation order and restart the process with a fresh show-cause notice and proper hearing.
The rulings did not remove the FDA’s responsibility to enforce food and drug laws, but placed emphasis on following prescribed procedure while taking regulatory action.
Mundhe has separately said that public health remains his priority as commissioner. His tenure at the FDA has drawn attention because of inspections and enforcement measures involving a wide range of food establishments.
FDA says celebrations can continue normally
Officials maintain that the festival calendar is intended to make enforcement predictable by setting a common year-round procedure instead of issuing separate instructions before every major celebration. Existing legal obligations for food businesses remain in force under the system.
Mundhe said no religious or cultural activity is prohibited by the standing order and communities remain free to organise and celebrate their festivals. The FDA’s stated role is limited to ensuring that food prepared, sold or distributed during those events complies with food safety requirements.
Explaining the objective of the order, Mundhe said, ‘The objective is not to restrict celebration but to prevent illness. Let festivals be celebrated with faith, joy and tradition and let the food served during the festivities be safe.’
As of September 6, the Maharashtra FDA’s year-round festival enforcement framework remains focused on implementation of the existing food safety regime. The administration has said inspections and monitoring will continue across festivals and large gatherings without creating a separate set of restrictions on religious celebrations.