Food stalls operating at Ahmedabad’s Navratri celebrations in 2026 must obtain FSSAI registration or face enforcement action, including possible sealing, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s food department has warned.
The requirement applies to stalls at more than 80 small and large commercial Navratri events across the city, as well as food counters set up during large-scale garba programmes organised by housing societies. The municipal food department issued the warning last week, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar.
Under the directive, every food stall must have a separate registration. A vendor or caterer operating multiple stalls at different venues will have to obtain separate FSSAI registration for each location. The department said stall holders can complete the registration through the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s online process.
The civic authority has also asked event organisers not to allot space to any food stall operating without the required registration. The warning covers venues ranging from party plots to housing societies, placing a compliance responsibility on organisers and event committees as well as on vendors and caterers.
The food department has further said that responsibility will be fixed on vendors, caterers, organisers and committees if inedible or unsafe items are found being sold at Navratri events. The reported direction makes organisers an important enforcement checkpoint because they control the allocation of stalls before events begin.
Ahmedabad’s Navratri celebrations combine large commercial gatherings with community events, creating a temporary but extensive food-service network across the city. The municipal inspections will therefore cover stalls operating in different types of venues rather than a single festival site.
The food department plans to conduct checks during Navratri. Stalls found operating without FSSAI registration may be sealed as part of the action announced by the civic authority. The department’s warning does not specify the number of inspections planned or the dates on which individual venues will be checked.
