The Food and Drug Administration seized 4,296 kg of bhagar and sago from a trader in Pune’s Market Yard during a food-quality inspection carried out ahead of the Navratri festival. The wider Pune division operation also targeted sweets, banana wafers and chakli, with suspect stock valued at Rs 4,45,768 seized from establishments in Pune and Sangli district.
The action was conducted after Ganeshotsav and ahead of Navratri, when demand for fasting foods and festival sweets typically rises. According to the report, FDA teams inspected establishments in Bibwewadi and Market Yard in Pune, as well as Vita and Kavathe Piran in Sangli district.
At Sameer Sales in Market Yard, officials seized 1,298 kg of bhagar and 2,998 kg of sago, together weighing 4,296 kg. The stock was valued at Rs 3,64,588. The FDA suspected that the products were substandard or unsafe and found violations related to labelling requirements. The report did not state that the products had been conclusively declared unsafe; the stock was seized pending the relevant regulatory process.
At Ashish Foods in Bibwewadi, officials seized 210 kg of banana wafers valued at Rs 27,300. From Reddy Sweet House, they seized 75.6 kg of chakli valued at Rs 25,200. The report said both establishments had deficiencies in their registration details, including the failure to specify the correct type or category of business. Laboratory test reports were also reportedly unavailable, and labelling violations were observed.
The Sangli action covered three sweet shops. At Shri Balaji Sweet Mart in Vita, six kg of jalebi and Mysore pak, valued at Rs 1,680, were seized. The establishment reportedly did not have the required business registration. Officials suspected that the sweets were substandard and that food colouring had been used excessively.
At Sirvi Bandhu Mithaiwale in Vita, 27 kg of boondi ladoo and Mysore pak worth Rs 9,000 were seized. Excessive use of food colouring was suspected in those products as well. At Ruchira Sweets in Kavathe Piran in Miraj taluka, 72 kg of coconut barfi and Mysore pak valued at Rs 18,000 were seized.
The report said Ruchira Sweets had registration deficiencies, including the absence of the appropriate business category. Production records and laboratory test reports were reportedly unavailable, while labelling rules were also found to have been violated.
The operation highlights the role of food regulators in checking not only the quality of products but also the compliance systems behind their sale. Registration categories, production records, laboratory reports and labels allow regulators and consumers to identify what a product contains, who made it and whether the business is operating within the applicable framework.
The FDA’s action comes at a period of increased seasonal consumption, when fasting foods such as bhagar and sago, along with festival sweets, move through wholesale and retail channels in larger quantities. The seized material will remain subject to the regulatory process connected to the suspected quality, safety and labelling violations reported by the FDA action.
The Pune division enforcement drive covered establishments across Pune city and Sangli district, with the reported seizures focusing on suspect stock, registration gaps, missing testing documentation and labelling non-compliance.
