Pune tops Maharashtra FDA complaints on unhygienic food after portal launch
Maharashtra FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe said Pune has logged the most complaints of unhygienic food on the new portal. The response has sharpened enforcement and increased pressure on eateries to follow safety rules.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has received the highest number of complaints about unhygienic food from Pune district since it launched its complaint-reporting portal, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said on Saturday.
Speaking in Pune, Mundhe said the portal, complaints.mahafda.in, was introduced to let people register complaints related to food items and to bring in accountability and transparency. He said the FDA joint commissioner of the concerned region would take cognisance of a complaint within 24 hours and assign it to an officer, failing which it would be automatically escalated to a senior official.
Mundhe was in the city to attend a food safety conference organised by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture. Speaking to reporters, he said, "Thousands of complaints poured in after the portal went live and 10 lakh hits were recorded within 24 hours." He also said the FDA was exploring the use of blockchain technology to maintain records of entities against which action had been taken earlier.
Asked about the distribution of complaints across the state, Mundhe said, "The highest number of complaints has been registered in Pune district, and most of them concern unhygienic food." He also urged hotels and other establishments to comply with food safety management systems and follow all 22 major regulations prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI.
The crackdown against food businesses in Maharashtra has intensified since Mundhe took charge as FDA chief in May, with inspections carried out at several hotels, restaurants and dhabas. Officials had said earlier that the FDA suspended the food business licence of Mumbai-based Parsi Dairy Farm after finding serious food safety and hygiene violations. On Saturday, officials also said the agency had suspended the licence of a canteen at Mumbai's KEM Hospital and ordered it to stop business for similar reasons.
The FDA's new complaint system has drawn a large response, with Pune district reporting the highest number of complaints, mainly about unhygienic food, even as the agency steps up enforcement and asks food businesses to follow safety rules.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has received the highest number of complaints about unhygienic food from Pune district since it launched its complaint-reporting portal, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said on Saturday.
Speaking in Pune, Mundhe said the portal, complaints.mahafda.in, was introduced to let people register complaints related to food items and to bring in accountability and transparency. He said the FDA joint commissioner of the concerned region would take cognisance of a complaint within 24 hours and assign it to an officer, failing which it would be automatically escalated to a senior official.
Mundhe was in the city to attend a food safety conference organised by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture. Speaking to reporters, he said, "Thousands of complaints poured in after the portal went live and 10 lakh hits were recorded within 24 hours." He also said the FDA was exploring the use of blockchain technology to maintain records of entities against which action had been taken earlier.
Asked about the distribution of complaints across the state, Mundhe said, "The highest number of complaints has been registered in Pune district, and most of them concern unhygienic food." He also urged hotels and other establishments to comply with food safety management systems and follow all 22 major regulations prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI.
The crackdown against food businesses in Maharashtra has intensified since Mundhe took charge as FDA chief in May, with inspections carried out at several hotels, restaurants and dhabas. Officials had said earlier that the FDA suspended the food business licence of Mumbai-based Parsi Dairy Farm after finding serious food safety and hygiene violations. On Saturday, officials also said the agency had suspended the licence of a canteen at Mumbai's KEM Hospital and ordered it to stop business for similar reasons.
The FDA's new complaint system has drawn a large response, with Pune district reporting the highest number of complaints, mainly about unhygienic food, even as the agency steps up enforcement and asks food businesses to follow safety rules.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has received the highest number of complaints about unhygienic food from Pune district since it launched its complaint-reporting portal, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said on Saturday.
Speaking in Pune, Mundhe said the portal, complaints.mahafda.in, was introduced to let people register complaints related to food items and to bring in accountability and transparency. He said the FDA joint commissioner of the concerned region would take cognisance of a complaint within 24 hours and assign it to an officer, failing which it would be automatically escalated to a senior official.
Mundhe was in the city to attend a food safety conference organised by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture. Speaking to reporters, he said, "Thousands of complaints poured in after the portal went live and 10 lakh hits were recorded within 24 hours." He also said the FDA was exploring the use of blockchain technology to maintain records of entities against which action had been taken earlier.
Asked about the distribution of complaints across the state, Mundhe said, "The highest number of complaints has been registered in Pune district, and most of them concern unhygienic food." He also urged hotels and other establishments to comply with food safety management systems and follow all 22 major regulations prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI.
The crackdown against food businesses in Maharashtra has intensified since Mundhe took charge as FDA chief in May, with inspections carried out at several hotels, restaurants and dhabas. Officials had said earlier that the FDA suspended the food business licence of Mumbai-based Parsi Dairy Farm after finding serious food safety and hygiene violations. On Saturday, officials also said the agency had suspended the licence of a canteen at Mumbai's KEM Hospital and ordered it to stop business for similar reasons.
The FDA's new complaint system has drawn a large response, with Pune district reporting the highest number of complaints, mainly about unhygienic food, even as the agency steps up enforcement and asks food businesses to follow safety rules.
