Archive · 5 Aug 2026
No apology over 'Saoji' remarks: FDA commissioner Mundhe
The news is about a famous spicy dish called Saoji mutton from a city called Nagpur in India.
A food safety officer named Tukaram Mundhe said that if he ate this dish, he would get sick and stay in the hospital for a whole month.
He also said that eating such oily food could cause heart disease.
Saoji mutton is made by the local Saoji community with roasted whole spices, dry coconut, and lots of oil.
The people who make and sell Saoji food were very upset by his words.
They said the dish is not just food — it is an important part of Nagpur's culture and history.
One restaurant owner said that if the food were really that bad, Nagpur's hospitals would be full of sick people.
The owners invited Mundhe to taste real Saoji food before criticizing it.
But Mundhe said his remarks were personal and he would not say sorry.
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe ruled out apologizing over his remarks on Nagpur's famed Saoji mutton.
At a public event, Mundhe said that if someone like him consumed Saoji food, he would end up in hospital for at least a month.
Mundhe claimed eating such oily foods could increase the risk of serious health issues like heart disease.
Saoji restaurant operators and community members said the remarks hurt the reputation of a culinary tradition deeply tied to Nagpur's identity.
A restaurant owner said Nagpur's hospitals would be overflowing if Saoji food were harmful, and owners invited Mundhe to taste the cuisine.
- Who
- Tukaram Mundhe, Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner and senior IAS officer.
- What
- Ruled out an apology for remarks suggesting Saoji mutton could send him to hospital for a month and increase heart disease risk.
- When
- Mundhe spoke on Wednesday; his original remarks were made recently at a public event, and the story was reported on August 4.
- Where
- Maharashtra, India — Mundhe spoke at his office in Bandra; the controversy centers on Nagpur and its Saoji cuisine.
- Why
- Restaurant owners and Saoji community members said the remarks hurt the reputation of a culinary tradition deeply associated with Nagpur's identity.
Saoji restaurateurs and community
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe
Health effects of Saoji food
Saoji restaurateurs and community
Saoji cuisine is safe and a cultural legacy; if it were truly harmful, Nagpur's hospitals would be overflowing with patients.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe
Saoji food is very oily; consuming it could lead to a hospital stay of at least a month and raise the risk of heart disease.
Apology for the remarks
Saoji restaurateurs and community
The remarks hurt the reputation of a culinary tradition deeply tied to Nagpur's identity, and Mundhe should apologize.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe
The remarks were personal opinions, so there is no question of an apology.
- Person
- Tukaram Mundhe
- Role
- Commissioner, Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Subject
- Nagpur's Saoji mutton
- Mundhe's claim
- Eating Saoji food could mean a hospital stay of at least a month
- Health warning
- Oily foods may raise the risk of heart disease
- Critics
- Saoji restaurant operators and community members
- Mundhe's stance
- Remarks were personal; no question of an apology
- Location
- Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
