Food Safety Laws Exist, Compliance Lags: Maha FDA Chief

A 2006 Law in a Quick-Commerce World

Mundhe pointed out that the food business has changed dramatically since the Food Safety and Standards Act was enacted in 2006.

"E-commerce did not exist then. Today we have e-commerce. We did not have dark godowns then, dark stores; today we have those. We did not have cloud kitchens then; we have cloud kitchens. Do we require legislation and regulation on that?" he said.

He said suggestions on these emerging issues have been made at the national level through the Central Advisory Committee, of which state food commissioners are members. "New challenges come; we have to come up with the solutions for that, we have to anticipate and work on that," he added.

Why It Matters: Where Your Food Now Comes From

Mundhe's question touches everyday life in cities. A growing share of meals and groceries now reaches homes through apps, with food cooked in kitchens customers never see and groceries stored in warehouses they never visit. When the consumer cannot walk into the kitchen or the store, regulation and inspection become the main line of trust.

His remarks suggest that regulators are aware of this gap, and that the discussion on whether new rules are needed for these models has already reached the national level.

One Order for Every Festival

Mundhe also described how Maharashtra has changed its approach to festival-season enforcement. "Instead of issuing separate orders before individual festivals, the state had moved to a standing order covering festivals throughout the year," he said.

The framework categorises festivals at state, regional and local levels. Enforcement begins 21 days before an event, followed by action in the period just before it, during the festival itself, and legal proceedings afterwards.

What the Ganesh Festival Showed

Mundhe said the approach had already shown results during the Ganesh festival. "Around 250 to 300 licences or registrations had been suspended during the period for violations including operating without the required licence or registration, while nearly 30,000 kg of food had been seized and destroyed," he said.

He added that food products worth around ₹10 crore were seized and FIRs were registered where violations were found.

These numbers show the scale of the problem during peak demand, when sweets, milk products and snacks are produced and sold in large volumes.

Technology and Transparency

Mundhe said enforcement must become more transparent and technology-driven. Maharashtra has launched a complaints portal where consumers can register complaints, track their status and have them automatically assigned to officers.

"We need to use IT to the best possible extent," he said, adding that the state is working towards end-to-end digital platforms.

Continuous, Not Ad-Hoc

The larger goal, he said, is continuous enforcement rather than one-off drives. "If we make SOP with a continuous process, automatic process, it will work. It cannot be an ad-hoc approach," Mundhe said.

He added that food safety must involve food businesses, regulators and consumers together, so that compliance becomes part of everyday food practice rather than something that happens only when inspectors arrive.

What Consumers Can Do

Mundhe's call for shared responsibility puts consumers in the picture too. Packaged food products and food businesses are required to display their FSSAI licence or registration number, and checking for it is a simple first step. In Maharashtra, consumers can also use the state's complaints portal to report problems and follow up on action.

Mundhe's message is that India's food safety challenge is less about writing new rules and more about following existing ones, while updating the system for business models that did not exist two decades ago. With festivals like Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali ahead, Maharashtra's year-round standing order will face its next big test soon.

With inputs from IANS.