Following the food safety campaign led by Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, his 2005-batch IAS batchmate, Kumar Ravi, has spearheaded a parallel statewide crackdown in Bihar. As Bihar's Health Secretary and Food Safety Commissioner, Ravi is directing an intensive drive against food adulteration, expired products, and unhygienic preparation practices across all 38 districts while managing his regular administrative responsibilities.

Over the past three months, state authorities have conducted 531 inspections, seized or destroyed food products worth Rs 17.32 lakh, prosecuted 15 establishments, and suspended two operating licenses, India Today reported.

However, officials emphasise that Bihar faces the added challenge of improving public awareness and encouraging consumers to report violations.

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Bihar FDA Raids Target Commercial Chains and Local Vendors

The ongoing checks extend to local merchants and major food chains, including KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Barbeque Nation.

The drive covers commonly consumed items including milk, dairy products, sweets, fried foods, and spices. Teams are carrying out inspections at hotels, restaurants, catering services, retail shops, and quick-commerce warehouses for hygiene, storage conditions and safe food-handling practices. Inspectors are mandated to upload all inspection reports daily to the central Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) portal.

District-level records show that Patna recorded the highest number of inspections at 87, followed by Rohtas with 41, Saran with 40 and Gopalganj with 37. Where violations are detected, inspectors collect food samples for laboratory testing, issue improvement notices, and initiate legal proceedings.

Recent violations show the serious hygiene and safety breaches uncovered across the state. On October 22, officials seized and destroyed 40 litres of expired milk at a Blinkit store in Patna, along with expired flour, ghee, and spices at another outlet.

In Hajipur, authorities suspended the license of Sahib Hotel and halted its operations after a complaint about cockroaches prompted an inspection that exposed unhygienic kitchen conditions.

Mandatory Officer Training And Direct Public Complaint Channels

To ensure long-term compliance, the department has made officer training compulsory. Food Safety Officers must undergo 14 days of induction followed by 26 days of field training before deployment.

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Commissioner Ravi remains accessible to the public through WhatsApp. Officials stress that regular sampling, surprise checks, and routine follow-up visits will be critical to preventing repeated violations and ensuring safety standards across Bihar.

(With Inputs From Jagran.com)