📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Vyacheslav Argenberg
Food
Maharashtra FDA Launches Safety Calendar to Monitor Festive Food, Langar and Bhandara
✍️ India Today
🗓 04 Sep 2026, 07:33 PM
👁 46
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has introduced a safety calendar aimed at tightening oversight of food prepared for festivals, community meals and religious gatherings.
Mumbai, Maharashtra – The state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled a month‑by‑month safety calendar designed to curb food‑borne risks associated with large‑scale festive cooking, langar (community kitchen) operations and bhandara (religious feasts). The calendar lists critical inspection dates, hygiene workshops and public awareness drives that will run from October through March, covering major festivals such as Diwali, Navratri and Gurpurab.
According to the FDA, the initiative seeks to standardise sanitary practices among caterers, temple committees and volunteer groups that prepare meals for thousands of devotees. Inspectors will conduct surprise visits, verify temperature controls, and ensure that raw materials are sourced from licensed vendors.
The board also announced a series of training modules for food handlers, focusing on personal hygiene, proper cooking temperatures and safe storage. Information pamphlets and digital alerts will be circulated in Marathi, Hindi and English to reach a broad audience.
Officials said the calendar will be updated annually based on feedback and emerging health data, aiming to make community feasts safer without disrupting traditional celebrations.
According to the FDA, the initiative seeks to standardise sanitary practices among caterers, temple committees and volunteer groups that prepare meals for thousands of devotees. Inspectors will conduct surprise visits, verify temperature controls, and ensure that raw materials are sourced from licensed vendors.
The board also announced a series of training modules for food handlers, focusing on personal hygiene, proper cooking temperatures and safe storage. Information pamphlets and digital alerts will be circulated in Marathi, Hindi and English to reach a broad audience.
Officials said the calendar will be updated annually based on feedback and emerging health data, aiming to make community feasts safer without disrupting traditional celebrations.