In a major food safety enforcement action, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a prohibition order to Aqsa Bakery in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s Moshi, and shut it down immediately after an inspection revealed that the bakery was operating in violation of food safety and hygiene. Furthermore‚ officials opined that it was likely to pose a serious health risk to the public. The bakery was ordered to stop with immediate effect the manufacture, storage, sale, and distribution of food products under Section 34 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The action followed an inspection carried out on the night of 20 July 2026 by Food Safety Officer Prashant Shivraj Lohar. According to the official inspection records, the premises were found to be in serious non-compliance with food safety norms. The inspection report recorded an overall result of “Non-Compliance,” with the establishment securing only 1 mark out of 88, reflecting extensive violations across multiple food safety parameters.
Disturbing video footage from the premises shows exposed raw beef, unhygienic conditions, and an open partition between the butcher shop and bakery, with flies seen moving around both the meat and bakery products. The visuals, together with the FDA inspection findings, have raised serious concerns about beef contamination and prompted the immediate closure of Aqsa Bakery in Moshi.
Officials documented numerous sanitation and structural deficiencies during the inspection. These included broken flooring, damaged walls, inadequate ventilation, lack of pest-proofing measures, poor storage facilities, unhygienic food preparation areas, and the absence of proper cleaning and maintenance systems. The report stated that these deficiencies significantly compromised the hygienic conditions required for food manufacturing.
Bakery beside the beef butcher Shop
The inspection also noted heavy contamination inside the bakery. According to the official report, flies, insects, and other pests were found throughout the premises, while broken refrigeration equipment containing contaminated water was allegedly being used for food storage. Investigators observed that these conditions rendered the food products unsafe and unfit for human consumption.
Visual evidence from the premises indicates deeply unhygienic conditions both inside and outside the establishment. Openly discarded animal remains, including beef meat, liver, and other waste, were lying outside the adjoining butcher shop, attracting large numbers of flies and mosquitoes. Raw meat was observed exposed without adequate protection, with houseflies visibly settling on it. The footage also appears to show the same flies moving between the butcher shop and the bakery section, where sweet biscuits and other bakery products were packed and stored.
Adding to the concern, the partition separating the butcher shop from the bakery was found to be broken, leaving an open passage between the two units. The official FDA inspection similarly records concerns regarding the adjoining meat shop and cites the risk of cross-contamination between the premises as one of the serious food safety violations that led to the prohibition order.
FDA finds major lapses in worker hygiene
Inspectors also documented concerns regarding the bakery’s physical layout. The inspection report states that the bakery shared an adjoining area with a beef/mutton shop, creating what the food safety officer described as a serious risk of cross-contamination between the two premises. The report further notes that a connecting opening between the establishments appeared to have been sealed shortly before the inspection using brick and cement. These observations form part of the official inspection findings.
Based on these findings, the food safety officer concluded that continued operation of the establishment posed a hazard to human health. Exercising powers under Section 34 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, the officer ordered the bakery to immediately cease all food production, storage, sale, and distribution until further clearance from the Food Safety Department.
The inspection report goes a step further by recommending the immediate suspension of the bakery’s FSSAI registration certificate. Officials stated that, considering the seriousness of the violations recorded during the inspection, the business should remain closed as an interim preventive measure until all deficiencies are rectified and compliance with food safety regulations is established.
The action has drawn considerable public attention because the bakery reportedly supplied products to numerous local retail outlets in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area. The official documents, however, focus on the food safety violations identified during the inspection and the regulatory measures taken by the FDA. The bakery operator retains the legal right to appeal the prohibition order before the designated food safety authority within the prescribed time period.
As per Hindustan Times reports, the action against Aqsa Bakery comes amid an intensified crackdown by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration on unsafe and substandard food businesses across the state. In June, the FDA seized food products worth more than ₹31 lakh and registered criminal cases against multiple establishments during a special enforcement drive across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and neighbouring districts. Officials have said such inspections will continue to ensure compliance with food safety standards and to safeguard public health.
The inspection has exposed an alarming breakdown of food safety standards at the establishment. The official findings document serious hygiene violations and identify a risk of beef contamination between the adjoining meat processing area and the bakery. Beef has been banned or restricted in several states across Bharat.
For Hindus, the cow is revered as Gau Mata and holds immense religious and cultural significance. The very thought of beef, even unknowingly, entering vegetarian food is deeply disturbing and unacceptable to many devotees. No Hindu would ever support the slaughter of Gau Mata or tolerate food being prepared under conditions that raise concerns about cross-contamination.
Such unhygienic practices deserve strong condemnation. Hindus should remain vigilant while purchasing bakery items and other food products and support only establishments that maintain proper hygiene, transparency, and compliance with food safety regulations.
Role of Sakal Hindu Samaj and Hindu Activists
The action against Aqsa Bakery has come after Sakal Hindu Samaj and local Hindu activists raised concerns regarding an illegal abattoir running under the guise of a bakery in Moshi for the past five years. According to the Press Note issued by Sakal Hindu Samaj, for the past five years the illegal beef slaughterhouse had been running at the bakery premises under the same roof. When the activists came to know about this, they alerted the police and raided the place on Saturday (18 July) night followed by FDA raid on Sunday (19 July).
Read Sakal Hindu Samaj Press Note
This also highlights how Hindu sentiments are being taken for granted. It must be mentioned that Cow slaughter is illegal in Maharashtra and therefore, the slaughterhouse seems to have deliberately run to hurt Hindu sentiments. This needs a thorough investigation and strict punishment.
