Maharashtra Food Chief Mundhe Intensifies Restaurant Safety Crackdown

According to the BBC, Maharashtra food commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has led thousands of inspections of cafes, restaurants and other food businesses since taking charge in May, as the state’s Food and Drug Administration stepped up enforcement over hygiene and labeling violations. His department has suspended several quick-commerce warehouse licences, issued notices to Bollywood celebrities over advertisements suspected of indirectly promoting restricted products, and by the end of July had carried out more than 3,100 inspections, issued around 300 licence suspensions and more than 1,000 improvement notices. The report said India’s parliament was told in July that nearly one in five of 223,808 food samples tested across the country in 2025 and 2026 were non-conforming. Mundhe has also banned newspapers for wrapping food, synthetic dyes and analogue paneer, while extending scrutiny to school canteens, hostel kitchens and midday meal suppliers.