Archive · 15 Aug 2026
FDA Chief: Independence Should Extend to Food We Consume
India celebrated its Independence Day on August 15.
A man named Tukaram Mundhe is the head of food safety for the state of Maharashtra.
He said that being independent also means choosing food that is good for our health.
He wants people to pick food that is safe and meets quality standards, not just tasty food.
Mundhe said choosing healthy food keeps us healthy, and healthy people make a healthy country.
The food safety department, called the FDA, is also helping schools.
It told schools across Maharashtra to serve nutritious food instead of fast food in their canteens.
The FDA is training about 300 schools, including in Mumbai, about nutrition and hygiene.
Rules now stop shops from selling junk food close to school grounds.
The FDA has also suspended the licences of some eateries because of hygiene problems.
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said independence should also extend to the food people consume.
Mundhe urged citizens to choose food meeting safety and quality standards rather than choosing based only on taste.
The FDA has directed schools across Maharashtra to replace fast food in canteens with nutritious options.
The FDA has begun food safety and nutrition training in around 300 schools across the state, including Mumbai.
The FDA has suspended the licences of some eateries following serious hygiene lapses and food safety violations.
- Who
- Tukaram Mundhe, Commissioner of the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- What
- Mundhe said independence should extend to the food people consume and highlighted FDA efforts to promote healthy eating in schools.
- When
- Saturday, August 15, 2026, on India's 80th Independence Day.
- Where
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
- Why
- To encourage food safety and healthy eating so that citizens and the country remain healthy and can progress.
- Speaker
- Tukaram Mundhe
- Role
- Commissioner, Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Occasion
- India's 80th Independence Day (August 15, 2026)
- Location
- Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Schools receiving nutrition training
- Around 300 schools across Maharashtra, including Mumbai
- School canteen directive
- Replace fast food with nutritious options
- Junk food restriction zone
- Within 50 metres of school premises
- Enforcement action
- Licences of some eateries suspended for hygiene lapses