'Priority to ensure safe food': Maharashtra FDA to inspect roadside Chinese food stalls for hygiene and quality

Maharashtra FDA will soon inspect roadside Chinese food stalls over public complaints, focusing on hygiene, ingredients, storage and food safety standards.

After a series of crackdowns on food adulteration, substandard medicines and illegal gutkha, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to turn its attention to roadside Chinese food stalls, with commissioner Tukaram Mundhe indicating that inspections focusing on food quality and hygiene at such outlets will begin soon.

The inspections are aimed at ensuring compliance with food safety norms and preventing the sale of unsafe food, officials said. (FILE)

Speaking during an interaction in Pune, Mundhe said the department had received several complaints urging it to scrutinise Chinese food vendors operating across cities and towns.

“Following public complaints, we will soon examine the quality of food served and ingredients used at these stalls,” he said.

Mundhe recalled tasting Chinese street food for the first time in Pune several years ago. Referring to the city’s popular roadside food culture, he said he wanted to revisit such outlets to assess the current situation from a food safety perspective.

Inspections to assess hygiene and food quality at roadside eateries

According to officials, the proposed drive is likely to focus on hygiene standards, storage practices and the quality and safety of ingredients used at roadside stalls and eateries.

The inspections are aimed at ensuring compliance with food safety norms and preventing the sale of unsafe food, officials said.

“Our priority is to ensure that citizens get safe, quality food. Public participation is equally important, and every complaint received through the portal will be examined,” Mundhe said.

Since Mundhe took charge as commissioner, the FDA has intensified enforcement across Maharashtra over the past two months, conducting raids against food adulteration, counterfeit products and illegal gutkha.