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Shah Rukh, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff now get notice from FDA's Tukaram Mundhe over Vimal ad: 'Explain in 15 days'
The FDA said the campaign could amount to surrogate or indirect promotion of prohibited pan masala or tobacco-related products in Maharashtra.
After raids on hotels and canteens of government establishments, the Tukaram Mundhe-led Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now issued show-cause notices to Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their participation as brand endorsers in an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi.
The FDA said the campaign could amount to surrogate or indirect promotion of prohibited pan masala or tobacco-related products.
The show-cause notice gives them 15 days from the date of receipt to submit a written explanation. The FDA warned that if no explanation is received, or if the response is found unsatisfactory, further action may be initiated under applicable law.
The notice, dated August 11, 2026, has been issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related regulations. In the notice, the FDA pointed out that the Vimal brand is “prominently associated with Pan Masala in the market” and noted that pan masala products are prohibited in Maharashtra.
Recently, the FDA suspended the licence of Sapphire Foods-operated Pizza Hut outlet at Karad in Satara district of the state over alleged violations of food safety and hygiene norms, officials said.
At the Pizza Hut outlet in Karad, the FDA found that separate ovens and pans were not being used to prepare vegetarian and non-vegetarian pizzas.
During another inspection at a Sapphire Foods outlet in Akola, the FDA seized 55 kg of frozen paneer, which it classified as misbranded and substandard.
The FDA's special drive covered 104 chain restaurant establishments across Maharashtra. Two establishments were ordered to stop operations, 95 were issued improvement notices, and the licences of five establishments were suspended, the FDA said.
