Tukaram Mundhe, Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra, and his team have raided restaurants, eateries, four canteens of the High Court and pharmaceutical manufacturers, in Mumbai. Several were closed down or temporarily sealed till rectifications are made. Although Mundhe has State-wide jurisdiction, press and social media highlight only Mumbai. Goa’s FDA under the watch of Shweta Dessai, Director, carries out raids at hotels and shops to check for wrong packaging and mislabelling of food products. Mundhe, Dessai and others like them are to be appreciated, although they are humble enough to say that they are just doing their duty. It is disheartening when we are fed and sold stale, expired, adulterated and used food items that are unhygienically stored and cooked in kitchens that swarm with pests. Many items do not conform to FSSAI rules. In developed countries, adulteration of food and medicines is a serious offence but here most escape the law even if spurious liquor and medicines have killed people. It would be a Herculean task for the FDAs to check the eateries along highways, roadsides (urban and rural) and cloud kitchens.
SRIDHAR D IYER, Caranzalem
