Maharashtra FDA Chief Links Rising NCDs to Diet, Calls for Food Safety Awareness

Non-communicable diseases now make up about 65 per cent of the disease burden in Maharashtra, even as the prevalence of communicable diseases has fallen to 30-35 per cent over the years, according to Tukaram Mundhe, Commissioner of the state's Food and Drug Administration.

Speaking at a public event, Mundhe said the shift points to diet and lifestyle as major drivers. He noted a significant rise in conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, all of which are non-communicable.

"If you examine these non-communicable diseases, a major contributing factor lies in what we eat and consume," he said, adding that the link is direct.

Mundhe illustrated the concern with a common observation: families and neighbourhoods often report cases of cancer in people who neither smoked nor chewed tobacco, and who even exercised. He asked why such cases occur, suggesting that carcinogens in food could be a factor. That, he said, is where food safety and awareness become critical, and where consumers must ask whether what they eat is safe and meets required standards.

He pointed out that these concerns led the government to bring in the Food Safety and Standards Act in 2006, replacing the earlier Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. While the new law still deals with adulteration, it places greater emphasis on safety and quality standards. Awareness of this, he said, remains limited, and public authorities have a duty to reach out.

On his own working style, which has drawn public and media attention, Mundhe said he issues press notes almost daily about his actions and occasionally holds press conferences himself. A key aim, he said, is to raise public awareness about food safety, standards, health conditions and the links between them.

He urged people to go beyond merely gathering information. Awareness only conveys facts, he said, but it is vital for people to understand the correlations and impacts involved. The media and social media, he added, have equally important roles in building that understanding.

Asked about the pressures of his job, Mundhe said fear is not a word in his lexicon. "There is nothing in the world you should fear. The only thing you should fear is doing the wrong thing," he said.

His actions against unhygienic food handling and storage have won him wide admiration, particularly among younger audiences. Raids by his food safety team often go viral, with detailed public statements and graphic images showing the interiors of eateries and grocery warehouses marked by stained walls, cockroaches, rats and expired food. The attention reflects long-standing public concern over hygiene at local eateries, roadside kiosks and small restaurants, which remain hugely popular even as foreign chains expand.