Now Reading: Mundhe-led raids expose adulterated milk and expired-stock resale in Maharashtra
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Mundhe-led raids expose adulterated milk and expired-stock resale in Maharashtra
Mundhe-led raids expose adulterated milk and expired-stock resale in Maharashtra
Ankieta Kothari, founder of The Bombay Blueprint, writes in an opinion column in the Free Press Journal that Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has led two months of raids…
Ankieta Kothari, founder of The Bombay Blueprint, writes in an opinion column in the Free Press Journal that Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has led two months of raids across the state, including at the Cricket Club of India and K. Rustom and, a day after the Bombay High Court asked why government institutions were being spared, inside the High Court's own canteens. Her column cites investigators finding synthetic milk mixed with detergent, palm oil, emulsifiers and, in some cases, shampoo, with estimates from one bust suggesting more than two crore litres may have entered the market in six months, and describes expired stock, its dates erased and counterfeit stickers applied, redirected into warehouses in Bhiwandi and beyond. Shalimar and Parsi Dairy Farm were among the names suspended over pests, expired stock and unhygienic storage. Kothari argues the crackdown depends on one official's drive rather than a structural fix, and points to New York's public letter-grade inspection system and Singapore's SAFE framework as models Maharashtra lacks.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Kothari's factual claims, the named adulterants, the litre estimate from one raid, and the suspended firms, are concrete and specific, giving the column a solid basis beyond her argument about personality-led enforcement. That two-crore-litre figure describes a single investigation's estimate, not a statewide total, and should be read accordingly. Her comparison to New York's inspection grading and Singapore's SAFE system is the substance of her proposed fix: a permanent, published rating system rather than periodic raids by one commissioner. Maharashtra has already ordered calorie and allergen labelling on larger chains' menus, free potable water and stricter cold-chain norms, a mandatory hygiene rating displayed at the door would be the next order of that kind.
Source: www.freepressjournal.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
