Tukaram Mundhe Clarifies His New Order – Maharashtra FDA Chief Explains His Food Safety Directive | Today’s news
FDA Commissioner for Maharashtra Tukaram Mundhe clarified the purpose of the latest food safety directive. According to him, the order is to prevent adulteration and ensure safe food at gatherings. It does not control how people celebrate holidays or observe traditions.
Tukaram Mundhe’s clarification follows concerns over arrangements for food served during festivals and public events. He told PTI that people seemed to have misunderstood the standing order.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding and apprehension regarding the standing order issued for food safety measures during festivals and large public gatherings.” It regulates food safety,” Mundhe told PTI.
“We don’t regulate festivals; we ensure that food served at festivals — like weddings, bhandars, Eid, Christmas, New Year events and other gatherings — is safe and in compliance with the law, which has been in place since 2011,” said the Maharashtra FDA commissioner.
The Food and Drug Administration recently unveiled a calendar of enforcement festivals for the entire year. This followed months of tougher measures against food adulteration, reports PTI. The calendar creates a food safety monitoring system for celebrations and gatherings.
According to Mundhe, the food safety framework has been operational since 2011. It includes registration and licensing requirements for food business operators.
The directive does not create a new law or introduce a different licensing system. It also does not impose additional restrictions specifically for festivals.
According to a senior IAS officer, the standard operating procedure (SOP) does not discriminate on the basis of religion or festival. It does not prohibit bhandara, prasad or community distribution of food. It also does not interfere with Ganapati celebrations, other religious festivals, rituals or traditions. Communities can continue to organize events and celebrate according to their customs.
Year-round SOP
Earlier, officials often issued separate food safety guidelines ahead of each festival. The new order replaces this approach with a permanent framework covering the whole year. It applies across religions and communities, rather than dealing with celebrations separately as they approach.
“This is a uniform, year-round SOP for the implementation of the existing food safety framework, applicable without discrimination to all communities, all festivals and all food activities,” Mundhe said.
“The aim is not to curtail celebrations but to prevent diseases. Let the festivals be celebrated with faith, joy and tradition and let the food served during the festivities be safe,” he added.
The FDA chief said disease prevention will remain the purpose of the directive. He urged people to celebrate with faith, joy and tradition while ensuring that food remains safe. According to him, the emphasis is on applying existing protective measures wherever food is served.
