AICWA seeks FDA crackdown on bad food at Mumbai sets

The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has urged Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry out inspections and surprise checks at Film City in Goregaon and other shooting locations across Mumbai over poor-quality food and water. AICWA President Suresh Shyamlal Gupta wrote to FDA Minister Narhari Zirwal and Commissioner Tukaram Munde, calling the issue a serious food-safety and occupational health problem affecting thousands of film workers. The Deccan Herald reports that Munde's FDA has already begun action at Goregaon Film City.

Gupta said workers are repeatedly given stale or unhygienic food, often prepared in temporary kitchens with dirty conditions. He also flagged the lack of clean drinking water at several locations. According to AICWA, workers have no practical alternative due to long hours and are compelled to consume the food provided. The association warned that regular exposure to unsafe food can lead to food poisoning, infections and other health complications.

AICWA demanded strict action, including blacklisting producers, production houses and caterers found in serious or repeated violation. It called for zero tolerance for any compromise on workers' health for commercial convenience or cost-cutting. The FDA has not yet announced a timeline for state-wide inspections, but AICWA is pushing for immediate regulatory intervention across all film sets and studios in Maharashtra.