FDA Commissioner, Here’s One Compliance Drive Worth Pursuing
Tukaram Mundhe ji, as Maharashtra FDA Commissioner you are tasked with enforcing the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and its Licensing and Registration Regulations. Under Clause 2.1.13 of the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations 2011, every eligible Food Business Operator (FBO) —manufacturers, packers, relabellers and importers—must file an annual return by 31 May each year for the previous financial year’s activities.
This return captures production volumes, categories handled and related data. FSSAI has repeatedly clarified that filing is mandatory through the FoSCoS portal and that late or non-filing attracts a penalty of ₹100 per day of delay, subject to a maximum of five times the annual licence fee. Furnishing false information further invites action under Section 61.
I remember during retired IAS Mahesh Zagade’s tenure as FDA commissioner these returns were actively pursued and substantial penalties (approx Rs 70 lakhs in 2014) were recovered from defaulting FBOs. The same legal framework remains fully operational today. Many FBOs continue to treat the annual return as optional or file incomplete data. This undermines traceability, risk-based inspections and the integrity of the licensing system. Section 32 improvement notices and subsequent adjudication powers already exist to compel compliance; the daily penalty is an additional, automatic tool that generates both revenue for the state and deterrence.
I urge you to issue clear directions to all Designated Officers and Food Safety Officers to identify non-filers for the latest financial year, compute the exact penalty liability, and recover it without exception. Honest operators who meet deadlines should face no harassment; defaulters must not escape. Strict, uniform enforcement of the annual-return mandate will strengthen food safety, increase state revenue and demonstrate that rules apply equally. Please prioritise this compliance drive so that the report card of every FBO reflects actual accountability rather than paper compliance. Public health and regulatory credibility both depend on it.
By the way, Milk operators had to file it half yearly, but God alone knows who made it yearly for them…please take this up …
Vikrant Meena Hemant Joshi.
