The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intercepted large consignments of khoya and paneer brought into Pune ahead of Ganeshotsav, as part of a drive against suspected adulteration in dairy products. The action covered 4,600 kg of khoya and 12,500 kg of paneer.
FDA teams began checking incoming dairy consignments in the Budhwar Peth and Shukrawar Peth areas from around 6.30 am on Friday. Instead of allowing the stocks to move into the local market, officials stopped the consignments and took them up for inspection.
The 4,600 kg khoya consignment was taken into custody and is being destroyed, according to the report. The 12,500 kg paneer consignment has been held and samples are being sent for laboratory testing. Further action on the paneer will depend on the test results.
The stock covered by the action is estimated to be worth around ₹38 lakh. Around 12 to 13 FDA officials were involved in the operation, checking khoya and paneer entering Pune from outside the city and the state.
The checks have been intensified ahead of Ganeshotsav, when demand for khoya and other dairy products rises sharply because of increased production and sale of sweets.
According to dairy traders quoted in the report, around 20 to 25 tonnes of paneer normally enters the Pune market every day. Traders said supplies from notorious regions supplying fake milk products have fallen by around 40% to 50% in recent days following tighter FDA checks.
The operation was not a spot decision. Instructions for the checks had been issued by the FDA’s Mumbai headquarters around 10 to 12 days earlier, following which officials in Pune were gathering information on incoming dairy consignments.
Police personnel were also deployed during the operation in Budhwar Peth and Shukrawar Peth. Around 15 to 20 police personnel were posted in the area while the FDA teams carried out the checks.
The action comes amid a wider tightening of food checks in Maharashtra. FDA data reported earlier this month showed that 37,604 samples of food, medicines and cosmetics were collected for testing across the state between June and August 2026. Of the samples tested during the period, 15,268 were reported as non-conforming, with food products accounting for the overwhelming majority.
In the Pune operation, the status of the paneer will become clear only after laboratory reports are received. FDA officials have said the nature of further action will be decided on the basis of these test results.
