Parliament Question: Incidence of Food Adulteration in Maharashtra

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 2281 TOBE ANSWERED ON31th JULY,2026 INCIDENCE OFFOOD ADULTERATION IN MAHARASHTRA 2281. SHRI BHASKAR MURLIDHAR BHAGARE: Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate: (a) whether the Government has taken cognizance of the increasing incidence of food adulteration across the country, if so, the details thereof along with the number of food samples collected, samples found non-conforming and enforcement actions taken by the Government in Maharashtra during the last three years and the current year, year-wise; (b) the details of prosecutions launched, licences suspended or cancelled and penalties imposed inMaharashtra against manufacturers, traders and vendors foundguilty of food adulteration; (c) whether the Government has provided any financial or technical assistance for strengthening food testing laboratories, mobile food testing units and surveillance mechanisms in Maharashtra, particularly in its tribal and remote districts, if so, the details thereof, district-wise; (d) whether the Government has undertaken any special awareness and enforcement drives against food adulteration in Maharashtra during festive seasons and in rural markets, if so, the details thereof; and (e) the measures taken by the Government to strengthen digital traceability, rapid food testing and consumer awareness to curb food adulteration in the said State? ANSWER THEMINISTEROFSTATEINTHEMINISTRYOFHEALTHANDFAMILY WELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAOJADHAV) (a) to (e): Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandated to lay down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for humanconsumption. The implementation and enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006isa shared responsibility between the Central andStateGovernments. Details of enforcement action taken against all non-conforming food products (includingadulteration)inMaharashtraduring thelast threeyearsareannexedatAnnexure-I. Details of the number of licences suspended and cancelled in Maharashtra during the last three yearsare annexedat AnnexureII. FSSAI has undertaken following measures to strengthen the laboratory testing, surveillance and consumer awareness regarding food safety standards across the country are as:  For the safety of the food and food products through testing, FSSAI has notified 259 National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for analysis of food samples and24Referral Food Laboratoriesfor the analysis of appeal samples. Out of these, 39 FSSAI’s notified food testing laboratories are located in Maharashtra, comprising 05 State Food Testing Laboratories, 02 other Government Laboratories, and 32 Private Laboratories. These laboratories belong to the States/UTs, variousGovernment Institutions/Departments andprivate entities.FSSAI provides technical and financial support to the State Food Safety Authorities, to strengthen thefoodtesting infrastructure inStates&UTs.  FSSAIhasalso providedassistance underthe scheme“Strengtheningof FoodTesting Systeminthe CountryincludingprovisionofMobile FoodTestingLabs'' (SoFTeL)to various States and UTs. Assistance is provided to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Laboratories at Mumbai & Chhatrapati. Sambhajinagar under SoFTeL initiative,amountingtoRs.19.21Crore.  Tostrengthenthe laboratorycapacity,from2017totill dateFSSAIhasconducted222 training programmes for its notified food testing laboratories in which 3937 participantshave been trained.  Mobile Food Testing Laboratory (MFTL) or “Food Safety on Wheels” (FSW) provides the widest outreach for food testing, training and awareness programme, especially inthe villages, towns andremote areas. Currently, 305FSWs are deployed across 35States/UTs. The Stateof Maharashtra has02MFTLs.  The "Magic Box" is a compact and user-friendly kit containing simple, rapid test methods to detect common food adulterants in seven different food commodities. Itaims to identify adulteration in everyday food items such as milk, spices, oils, and grains.  Detect Adulteration with Rapid Test (DART) book covers 44 tests that can be performed easily at household level with the help of water and simple solutions like tincture of iodine for food products like Milk & Milk Products, Oils & Fats, Sugar& Confectionary, Food Grains & its products, Spices & Condiments etc. These tests also include sensory evaluation tests for establishing authentication of food products. DART book depicts the differences between pure and adulterated food product through pictorialrepresentation.  Rapid Analytical Food Testing (RAPID) Kits are advanced, easy to use, portable and handheld devices and don't require any sophisticated equipment or conventional reagents to conduct the tests. So far, 88 RAFT kits have been approved. These kits help to reduce the screening time of the food products at the field level and thereby acceleratesurveillance aswell asmonitoringactivities.  The FSSAI also carries out a nation-wide movement'Eat Right India' with a focuson preventive and promotive healthcare through social and behavioural change through State Food Safety Authorities. Financial assistance is provided to the States/UTs for spreading consumer awareness. Under the Eat Right India initiatives, Maharashtra hasbeenawardeda totalof 2,044certificates.  FSSAI has launched various campaigns such as “#No To Adulteration” to raise consumerawarenessaboutfoodadulterationandhowtoidentifyadulteratedproducts. These initiatives include advertisements, educational materials, and online platforms tospread awareness.  Videos “How to Check for Adulteration” on its official YouTube channel, which includes short videos demonstrating methods to detect adulteration in various food items, including milk and milk products, edible oil etc. These Information Education Communication (IEC) materials are available in regional languages too and are showcased at variouspublic eventsandcampaigns.  FSSAI is also carrying out an awareness campaign, "#HarLabelKuchKahtaHai", to empower citizens with label literacy for healthier eating and informed choices. This initiative educates consumers on key elements like nutritional information (calories, fats, sugars, protein),ingredientlists, allergen warnings, anddate markings. ******Annexure-I Details of Enforcement actiontaken forall non-conforming foodsproducts(including adulteration)forMaharashtra S. Year No. of Samples No. of Samples Civil Cases CriminalCases No. Analysed foundNon- Decided with No. of Conforming Penalty Convictions 1 2025-26* 7,694 1,335 2,445 8 2 2024-25 5403 1250 1,147 0 3 2023-24 5087 1174 154 0 *Data isprovisional.Annexure-II Details of LicensesSuspended andCancelled inlast 03yearsinMaharashtra FinancialYear Total Suspended TotalCancelled 2025-26* 79 13 2024-25 63 19 2023-24 34 39 Total 176 71 *Data isprovisional