Maharashtra FDA Suspends 17 Mumbai Eateries and Seizes Rs 20 Crore in Drugs in Wide Enforcement Sweep
Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration has been running enforcement campaigns on two fronts simultaneously, with actions this week highlighting the breadth of the department's reach across the state. On the food safety side, state inspectors suspended the licences of 17 Mumbai-area eateries after citing hygiene violations, with three Domino's outlets among the establishments affected and state-wide food raids seizing goods valued at Rs 50.19 lakh. On the pharmaceutical side, the FDA announced a six-month total of 35 FIRs filed and drugs worth Rs 20.23 crore seized — a campaign that resulted in 33 FIRs and 14 arrests between June and September 2026 alone.
🍛 Maharashtra FDA Suspends 17 Mumbai Eateries Over Hygiene Violations, Seizes Rs 50 Lakh in Unsafe Food Statewide
Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration suspended the licences of 17 eateries in the Mumbai region following inspections that uncovered hygiene violations at multiple establishments across the city. Among the businesses facing licence suspension were three outlets of Domino's Pizza, the international fast-food chain with a large footprint across Mumbai, as well as Hotel Theresa in Dharavi. Photographs released in connection with the FDA's action captured hygiene lapses documented during inspections at the Dharavi premises and at a Domino's outlet in Borivli, putting concrete images to what the authority characterised as systemic non-compliance. The enforcement action was not confined to the city itself: state-wide raids conducted as part of the same campaign resulted in the seizure of unsafe food items valued at Rs 50.19 lakh in total. The action was reported by Mid-Day on 15 October 2026, based on FDA disclosures. Maharashtra's FDA has increasingly pursued active inspection campaigns across the state, and the breadth of this round — covering both a large international franchise chain and a neighbourhood establishment in Dharavi — reflects an enforcement posture that does not exempt well-known brands from scrutiny. Licence suspension under the Food Safety and Standards Act prevents an establishment from legally operating until it demonstrates compliance and the FDA determines that conditions meet the prescribed standards. The scale of the statewide food seizure, at over fifty lakh rupees, indicates that this was a coordinated operation across multiple FDA regional offices rather than an isolated single-location inspection drive. [3]
Maharashtra FDA Files 35 Drug FIRs and Seizes Rs 20.23 Crore in Pharmaceuticals Across Six-Month Campaign
Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration intensified its pharmaceutical enforcement over a six-month period, filing a total of 35 first information reports and seizing drugs valued at Rs 20.23 crore, according to figures reported by Mid-Day on 15 October 2026. The enforcement activity was concentrated with particular force in the June to September 2026 window, during which the FDA filed 33 of those FIRs and arrested 14 individuals in connection with drug-related violations across the state. The pharmaceutical seizure total — exceeding twenty crore rupees in assessed value — represents a significant escalation in the FDA's drug enforcement operations, which span inspections of retail pharmacies, wholesale stockists, and manufacturing units operating across Maharashtra. FIRs filed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act carry serious legal consequences for those named, including the possibility of criminal prosecution and mandatory licence review. The FDA's simultaneous pursuit of both food safety and pharmaceutical enforcement in this period signals a broader intensification of regulatory activity across both verticals under its mandate, suggesting a coordinated escalation rather than isolated reactive inspections. Maharashtra's FDA is among the larger and more active state-level drug regulatory bodies in India, and its enforcement figures are frequently cited as a benchmark by regulators in other states. The six-month total of 35 FIRs, combined with the crore-level drug seizure value, reflects a campaign designed to address both the volume and the value of non-compliant pharmaceutical products moving through the state's supply chain. [5]