The Pune Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized and destroyed 10,888 kg of suspected unsafe paneer and khava brought into the city from Karnataka, with the confiscated stock valued at Rs 31.06 lakh. The action was carried out ahead of Navratri and Vijayadashami, when demand for sweets and dairy products typically rises.
The FDA conducted inspections from 6 am on Monday, October 19, at Bawdhan, Kasba Peth and Bibwewadi. Three vehicles transporting paneer from Karnataka were checked, while officials also found a stock of khava at Shivshankar Dairy in the Dagde Pool area of Kasba Peth.
At Bawdhan, officials found 3,520 kg of paneer in one vehicle, valued at Rs 10.56 lakh. A second vehicle inspected in Kasba Peth contained 3,235 kg of paneer worth Rs 8.03 lakh, while 3,413 kg valued at Rs 10.31 lakh was seized from a third vehicle in Bibwewadi.
The inspection at Shivshankar Dairy found another 720 kg of khava valued at Rs 2.16 lakh. Together, the seizures amounted to 10.88 tonnes of paneer and khava. The FDA said the stock was destroyed because it was perishable and suspected to be unsafe for human consumption.
Officials found that the paneer and khava were not being transported or stored under suitable temperature conditions. The inspection also found some low-fat and medium-fat paneer being kept for sale in open and unhygienic conditions, despite the requirement for such products to be sold in sealed packaging.
The action highlights the role of food safety enforcement in a city where perishable products move through multiple layers of transport, storage, wholesale distribution and retail sale before reaching consumers. In this case, the FDA’s findings centred on temperature control, packaging and the conditions in which dairy products were displayed.
Further action has been initiated under the Food Safety and Standards Act. FDA officials said that unauthorised mixing of vegetable fat or other ingredients in dairy products would attract strict action against those responsible.
Digambar Bhogawade, joint commissioner of the Pune FDA, advised consumers to check the quality, packaging, manufacturing date and use-by date of sweets, mawa, khava, paneer and other dairy products during the festive season. Consumers were also advised to examine storage conditions before purchasing such products.
Complaints related to food quality or hygiene can be made through the FDA’s toll-free number, 1800 222 365. The department’s festive-season enforcement campaign is continuing, with the seized material already destroyed and further proceedings under food safety law underway.
