FSSAI seizes food items worth ₹81.8 crore, suspends over 1,100 licences in two-month enforcement drive

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) led an intensive nationwide inspection drive from September 1 to November 5, during which it seized more than 3,270 metric tonnes of food products worth an estimated ₹81.80 crore and suspended more than 1,100 licences.

The FSSAI also sealed 314 establishments and initiated 410 prosecutions for food safety violations. (Pexel/Representative Image)In a series of posts on X, the food safety regulator said it had inspected 56,431 establishments and issued 10,047 improvement notices as part of the enforcement drive held across States and Union Territories in collaboration with State Food Safety Authorities.

It also collected 43,939 samples, of which 23,648 had been analysed. Out of these analysed samples, 2,273 were found to be non-compliant with prescribed food safety standards. The seized food products that were found to be non-compliant with safety standards included oils, milk, paneer, sweets, ghee, bakery items, chocolates, ice cream, namkeen, packaged food and festive hampers.

Highlighting the scale of the operation, the FSSAI said it had suspended 1,133 licences and cancelled the licences of 52 food establishments. Additionally, it also sealed 314 establishments and initiated 410 prosecutions.

"Through rigorous checks on over 56,000 food establishments, authorities took decisive action against substandard practices, issuing over 10,000 improvement notices and suspending more than 1,100 licences to maintain uncompromising safety standards," it said.

The regulator said it would continue working with State Food Safety Authorities to ensure "greater adherence to prescribed food safety standards across the food ecosystem". This year, the FSSAI had stepped up its crackdown on food safety violations by investigating multiple eateries and e-commerce companies.

Earlier, it banned the sale of Nestle's “Low Fat Dairy Whitener” after a sample of the product taken from The Lalit hotel in New Delhi's Connaught Place was declared to be “unsafe” and “substandard”. The latest findings highlight the scale of action taken during the festive season, with FSSAI expected to continue inspections and monitoring to ensure businesses follow food safety regulations.

Last month, the body issued a directive to food safety authorities across all states and union territories to step up surveillance and enforcement actions against unsafe food products ahead of the festive season. This directive was aimed at curbing the circulation of “adulterated, counterfeited and unsafe food products”.

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