The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received 13,857 complaints through its online grievance redressal portal in the three months since its launch on July 14, resolving 71.8% of them. Separately, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based screening system rejected 11,491 submissions at the initial stage, filtering out grievances deemed invalid, misleading or outside the department’s jurisdiction.
Sharing the portal’s three-month performance report on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) FDA officials said the system was introduced to provide citizens with a single platform to register complaints, track their status and ensure time-bound action by the authorities.
The portal, complaints.mahafda.gov.in, automatically assigns grievances to the concerned officers and escalates unresolved cases to higher authorities if action is not taken within the prescribed timeframe.
According to the FDA, 4,068 complaints were escalated during the three-month period because the officers concerned failed to act within the stipulated time. The system also automatically generated 4,068 notices to the officials responsible for the delays.
Of the 13,857 complaints registered, 13,017 concerned food-related issues, while 840 were related to drugs.
AI screening to assess and reject invalid grievances
Explaining the portal’s AI-based screening mechanism, FDA officials said the system assesses complaints at the submission stage to identify potentially misleading, incomplete, vague or jurisdictionally invalid grievances.
The screening process uses predefined rules and departmental data to assess the likelihood of a complaint being genuine, without requiring human intervention at the initial stage.
Complaints lacking specific information, falling outside the FDA’s jurisdiction or appearing to misuse the grievance mechanism are not admitted. The system instead informs complainants of the reasons for rejection.
Officials cited instances where customers complained about delays in restaurant service or the provision of drinking water before alleging that the establishment served unsafe or substandard food.
Such complaints, when found to lack sufficient grounds for FDA intervention, are filtered out during submission.
In all, 11,491 submissions were rejected through this mechanism during the three-month period, separate from the 13,857 complaints formally registered on the portal.
Pune region received most complaints
Region-wise, Pune recorded the highest number of complaints at 4,519, followed by Greater Mumbai with 3,762 and the Konkan region with 2,551. The Pune region covers five districts, while Greater Mumbai includes Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban districts. The Konkan region includes Thane and other districts along the Konkan belt.
Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, and Amravati followed in descending order of complaints received.
In the separate district-wise breakdown provided by the FDA, Pune district recorded the highest number of complaints at 3,762, followed by Mumbai with 2,551 and Thane with 1,090.
Together, the Pune and Greater Mumbai regions accounted for approximately 59.8% of the total registered complaints.
Among the most frequently reported issues, unhygienic manufacturing and storage conditions topped the list with 4,052 complaints, accounting for approximately 29% of the total. This was followed by 3,536 complaints concerning foreign objects found in food products, representing 25.5%.
Other major categories included substandard or unsafe packaged food (1,817 complaints), expired or spoiled products (829), and suspected food poisoning or food-related illnesses (787).
Complaints shift towards dark stores and quick commerce
The FDA also reported a change in the nature of grievances received through the portal, with complaints increasingly focusing on dark stores and quick-commerce operations.
Officials said hotels, restaurants and eateries initially accounted for the largest share of complaints. However, according to the department’s assessment of recent trends, nearly 50% of complaints now concern dark stores and quick-commerce services.
The department attributed the shift partly to enforcement action against traditional food establishments, suggesting that complaints in those categories may have declined following regulatory intervention.
At the same time, the increase in grievances concerning quick-commerce operations has brought greater attention to food storage, handling and product quality in the rapidly expanding sector.
Officials said the changing pattern would help the department identify emerging areas of concern and direct enforcement efforts towards sectors attracting more consumer complaints.
Complaints peak during sale and festive periods
Month-wise data showed that the portal received 2,075 complaints between July 14 and the end of July, followed by a sharp increase to 5,412 in August.
The number declined to 3,810 in September, while 2,560 complaints were registered during the first 14 days of October.
The highest weekly volume was recorded during the week beginning August 17, when 1,564 complaints were received. The second-highest was during the week beginning September 28, with 1,391 grievances.
FDA officials suggested that the increase in complaints during August and September could be linked to major promotional sales and festive-season demand, when higher sales volumes may increase the risk of unsafe or substandard products entering the market.
The department said the portal’s automated monitoring, escalation and screening mechanisms were intended to improve accountability among officers while ensuring that genuine consumer grievances receive timely attention.
Published – October 16, 2026 06:42 am IST
