Petition: Give Maharashtra's Food Safety Reforms a Chance — Retain Tukaram Mundhe as FDA Commissioner

To: The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the General Administration Department, and the Government of Maharashtra

Subject: Requesting a stable, uninterrupted tenure of 5–10 years for IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra

As parents and concerned citizens, we are writing to urge the Government of Maharashtra to allow Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe to continue in his current post — without the routine transfer that has, time and again, cut short his reform efforts across the state.
The problem we see every day: Something as small as birthday chocolates in a classroom reflects a much bigger gap. Our children are surrounded by ultra-processed snacks, sugary drinks, and additive-heavy foods that quietly ride on FDA licence numbers while skirting the safety limits those licences are meant to enforce. This isn't a school-level problem — it's a systemic one, and it needs sustained regulatory will to fix.
Why Commissioner Mundhe's leadership matters: Since taking charge of the FDA in May 2026, he has moved with unusual speed and consistency:
A statewide crackdown on synthetic and adulterated milk, uncovering supply chains mixing synthetic milk into the dairy network across the state.
A four-fold rise in food sample testing within the department.
Seizure and destruction of hundreds of kilograms of adulterated prasad peda near the Shirdi Sai Baba temple, and seizure of edible oil worth nearly ₹2.93 crore from an unsafe manufacturing unit.
Decisive hygiene enforcement against long-standing food establishments, regardless of their reputation or influence.
Most directly relevant to our children: in July 2026, the FDA under his leadership issued a statewide order banning the sale, advertisement, and free distribution of junk food — including chocolates, chips, soft drinks and other high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt items — inside all schools (State Board, CBSE, ICSE and others) and within a 50-metre radius, and has flagged unrestricted use of additives and flavour enhancers like MSG for closer scrutiny.
This is precisely the kind of reform we have been asking for. The concern is that it may not survive long enough to take root.
The pattern we cannot ignore: In a 21-year career, Commissioner Mundhe has been transferred roughly 24–25 times — often within a year or two of taking charge, frequently right after his enforcement work put him at odds with vested interests. Each time, unfinished reforms lose momentum and have to be rebuilt from scratch by a successor. Food safety enforcement, in particular, depends on continuity: sustained inspections, follow-through on licence suspensions, and consistent pressure on repeat offenders. A revolving door at the top works against all of it.
Our ask: We request the state government to make an exception to this pattern and allow Commissioner Mundhe to serve a stable, uninterrupted tenure of 5 to 10 years as FDA Commissioner — long enough to see the school junk-food ban enforced, the milk-adulteration crackdown sustained, and the FDA's licensing and additive-limit checks properly institutionalised across Maharashtra.
Our children deserve a food safety system that outlasts a single posting cycle. Please give this reform the time it needs to work.
Sign this petition to support a stable, extended tenure for Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe and safer food standards for Maharashtra's children.