Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration seizes unsafe dairy products

INDIA – The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has seized unsafe dairy products worth US$565,000 (Rs 5.4 crore) and suspended 404 licenses during a three-month statewide enforcement drive.

The FDA said it inspected 9,485 establishments dealing in milk, dairy products and other food items from June to August and issued 4,321 improvement notices, while action against prohibited food articles led to 867 arrests across the state.

According to a release issued by the agency, Pune division recorded the highest number of inspections at 4,261, followed by Konkan with 3,142, Greater Mumbai with 1,451, Nashik with 1,356, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with 1,173, Amravati with 989 and Nagpur with 711.

The FDA confiscated contraband worth US$2.05 million (Rs 19.62 crore) at 795 establishments, filed 644 FIRs, arrested 867 people, sealed 483 establishments and seized 110 vehicles.

The total value of food stock seized during the drive was US$7.03 million (Rs 67.20 crore), including milk and dairy products worth Rs 5.4 crore, other food items valued at Rs 42.17 crore and prohibited items worth Rs 19.62 crore.

Apart from milk and dairy products, the FDA’s enforcement drive covered edible oils, mangoes, sweets, khoya, bakery products, candy, jaggery, ghee, dates, ice cream and kulfi, frozen desserts, spices, betel nut, toddy and other food items.

Maharashtra FDA tightens milk safety rules

The move comes after the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has tightened food safety requirements across the state’s milk supply chain, introducing stricter compliance and surveillance measures after inspections identified repeated cases of milk adulteration, synthetic milk production, antibiotic residues, hygiene failures and cold-chain violations.

The new framework takes a supply-chain-wide approach, extending regulatory scrutiny from milk procurement and collection through processing, transportation and final sale.

The development represents a significant escalation in Maharashtra’s campaign against milk adulteration. It could have wider implications for dairy businesses operating in one of India’s largest milk-producing and consuming markets.

Under the strengthened norms, milk businesses will be required to maintain traceability records covering the movement of milk from collection to final sale, maintain appropriate cold-chain conditions, use food-grade equipment and implement food safety management systems.

The order comes amid concerns over practices including the dilution of milk with water, the production of synthetic milk using chemicals, the sale of synthetic products as fresh milk, excessive antibiotic residues, poor hygiene, and inadequate temperature management.

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