Pune: Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration will adopt the FDA 3E Strategy as the guiding framework for its future functioning, with Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe outlining a roadmap to reshape the state’s food safety ecosystem.
Built on the principles of Empower, Enable and Enforce, the strategy aims to move the regulator beyond an enforcement-centric approach towards awareness, compliance, public health and responsible industry participation.
Addressing food industry representatives at the MCCIA Food Safety Summit 2026 in Pune, Mundhe said the Maharashtra FDA should no longer be perceived merely as a department that conducts raids and inspections but as an institution working alongside businesses and consumers to ensure safer food standards.
Maharashtra’s Growth Must Be Matched by Food Safety Standards
Highlighting Maharashtra’s leadership in manufacturing, MSMEs and economic growth, Mundhe questioned whether the state has achieved the same leadership in food safety.
He said businesses, governments and consumers are interconnected stakeholders with a collective responsibility to ensure healthier lives.
“Businesses do not thrive in a vacuum. Governance does not get executed in a vacuum. The base of it is consumers, and all of us—the population of Maharashtra, India, and the world—are consumers.”
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Mixed Picture Across the Food Ecosystem
Sharing his observations after taking charge, Mundhe said Maharashtra’s food ecosystem presents a mixed picture. While several businesses have adopted excellent food safety practices, many others continue to fall short of regulatory expectations across the entire supply chain—from street vendors and restaurants to hotels, small industries and large manufacturers.
“This is based not only on my experience over the last one and a half months but also on the history of what the FDA and FSSAI have been doing since 2011.”
He added that compliance gaps exist across both branded and unbranded products.
Twenty-Two Food Safety Regulations Need Greater Compliance
Mundhe observed that many businesses remain unfamiliar with the complete regulatory framework. While FSSAI has 28 regulations, 22 directly govern food businesses.
“I did not know there were 22 different regulations governing the food sector.”
He urged industries to move beyond preventing adulteration and ensure full compliance with food safety standards.
Standards Must Replace Subjective Quality Claims
Mundhe distinguished between quality and standards, saying quality is subjective while standards are objective, measurable and legally enforceable.
“I avoid using the word quality because quality is subjective. Standard is the correct word.”
Food Safety Begins Before Sample Collection
A key operational reform under the FDA 3E Strategy is changing how inspections are conducted.
Instead of beginning with sample collection, FDA officers have been instructed to first evaluate the complete manufacturing ecosystem and verify compliance with Food Safety and Standards regulations.
“This culture I’m trying to change.”
Inspectors will examine manufacturing processes, Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS), packaging and labelling, food additives, branding practices, documentation, HACCP implementation and overall regulatory compliance before collecting samples.
Only after these aspects have been examined should officials proceed with sampling.
Food Safety Management Systems Must Become Standard Practice
Mundhe said compliance cannot be established merely through laboratory reports. Recalling a recent inspection, he said representatives of a dairy company were unfamiliar with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).
“What is that?”
According to him, the absence of Food Safety Management Systems raises serious concerns.
“If the Food Safety Management System does not exist in an industry—whether pharmaceutical or food manufacturing—how can I, as a regulator, believe that you are complying with food safety standards?”
He said safety can only be achieved when prescribed systems and standards are implemented throughout the manufacturing process.
Consumers, Businesses and Regulators Must Work Together
Explaining the philosophy behind the FDA 3E Strategy, Mundhe said food safety cannot be achieved through regulation alone.
He described consumers, manufacturers and regulators as partners built on mutual trust, where consumers trust products, businesses receive fair oversight, and regulators ensure consistent implementation of standards.
Existing Standards Need Better Implementation
Mundhe clarified that the FDA has not introduced new standards but is enforcing existing legal provisions in their true spirit.
He urged businesses to continuously monitor critical control points, maintain records and deploy qualified technical personnel. During licence suspension hearings, many establishments admitted they lacked the mandatory qualified personnel required under food safety regulations.
He also called on industry associations to educate members about the 22 Food Safety and Standards Regulations, saying many businesses remain only partially aware of the regulatory framework.
Misleading Claims and Labelling Under Scanner
Mundhe raised concerns over misleading branding and labelling practices.
Citing an example, he said some products prominently display “Sugar-Free” while the ingredient list contains sugar.
“The ingredients that are supposed to be declared properly are, many times, misleading. Absolutely misleading.”
He also questioned exaggerated marketing claims, including the promotion of products as “energy drinks.” According to him, notices have already been issued because the regulations define various food categories, but there is no officially defined category called an “energy drink” in the manner it is often promoted.
The FDA 3E Strategy: Empower, Enable and Enforce
Mundhe said the department’s future functioning will revolve around three interconnected pillars.
- Empower: Consumers should understand what they are eating, what standards apply and how the FDA functions so they become active participants in strengthening food safety.
- Enable: Businesses should be supported instead of being treated as violators. “If you are law-abiding and regulation-compliant, I will be the last person to trouble you.” “In fact, no one will defend you more strongly than I will, provided you are right.” He encouraged businesses facing genuine implementation challenges to approach the FDA for guidance.
- Enforce: Deliberate violators compromising public health will face strict action.
“Those who deliberately violate the law will have no place to hide.”
He said enforcement becomes meaningful only after awareness and compliance have been encouraged through the first two pillars.
Food Safety Must Begin at the Factory, Not the Marketplace
Mundhe said responsibility for food safety begins at the manufacturing stage, not when regulators collect market samples.
“Instead of beginning with sample collection, we must begin where production starts.”
He instructed FDA officers to focus on manufacturing processes and questioned whether industries are implementing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and other quality systems in their true spirit.
He also revealed that the FDA is investigating a major pharmaceutical manufacturer in Pune, where an Ayurvedic manufacturing licence has been suspended and is likely to be cancelled, while the allopathic division is also under investigation.
