Mumbai: Days after taking charge as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Tukaram Mundhe launched a statewide crackdown on food adulteration, banned products and unhygienic food manufacturing practices. Over the past three days, the FDA arrested 33 people, sealed 27 establishments and seized adulterated and unsafe food products worth crores, officials said on Thursday.FDA food safety drive: 33 held, 27 units sealedThe drive was carried out across multiple divisions in Maharashtra to curb activities affecting public health. Officials said the operation targeted organised adulteration rackets, banned products such as gutkha and tobacco mixtures, counterfeit food products and units violating food safety norms.During the raids, the FDA detected 34 locations involved in the manufacture or sale of banned gutkha, pan masala and tobacco products. The seized material is estimated to be worth around ₹20.48 crore.The FDA also collected food samples worth approximately ₹28.68 lakh for laboratory analysis. These included drinking water, milk, noodles, carbonated beverages, edible oils, sweet fennel, ice cream, pulses, spices, khoya, paneer, ghee, gram flour and bakery products.Mundhe said strict legal action would be initiated against those endangering public health. “Those who play with people’s health will not be spared. Along with offences under the Food Safety and Standards Act, criminal cases will also be registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023,” he said.Among the major violations detected during the drive were a noodle manufacturing unit in Dharavi found violating food safety regulations, a fake milk racket in Jalgaon, seizure of chemically ripened mangoes worth ₹20 lakh in Pune’s Indapur, where ethylene was allegedly used for artificial ripening, and an unhygienic besan manufacturing unit in Dhule district.