📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sntshkumar750
Agriculture
Maharashtra FDA Seizes 1,394 kg Bananas at Turbhe APMC Over Illegal Artificial Ripening
✍️ Mid-Day
🗓 07 Oct 2026, 03:16 AM
👁 9
The state food‑safety authority confiscated nearly 1.4 tonnes of bananas at Turbhe's agricultural market after detecting illegal artificial ripening, and ordered action against 11 outlets in Mumbai.
Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carried out a surprise inspection at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Turbhe, Navi Mumbai, on Wednesday. Inspectors found that a large consignment of bananas had been treated with prohibited artificial ripening agents and seized the entire lot, weighing 1,394 kilograms.
The seizure underscores the FDA's intensified crackdown on food‑safety violations in the state, particularly in perishable commodities where chemical ripening can pose health risks. The authority has also issued notices to eleven retail outlets in Mumbai that sourced the bananas, directing them to halt sales and submit to further inspection.
Officials said the action is part of a broader effort to ensure that consumers receive fresh produce free from illegal additives. The seized bananas will be disposed of in accordance with standard protocols, and the implicated vendors may face penalties under the Maharashtra Food Safety Act.
The seizure underscores the FDA's intensified crackdown on food‑safety violations in the state, particularly in perishable commodities where chemical ripening can pose health risks. The authority has also issued notices to eleven retail outlets in Mumbai that sourced the bananas, directing them to halt sales and submit to further inspection.
Officials said the action is part of a broader effort to ensure that consumers receive fresh produce free from illegal additives. The seized bananas will be disposed of in accordance with standard protocols, and the implicated vendors may face penalties under the Maharashtra Food Safety Act.