Pune: For countless travellers, a trip to Lonavala is incomplete without a Mapro stop. Strawberries, chocolates, jams, syrups, a visit to the Mapro farm and something packed for the journey home have made the brand a familiar part of travel memories for people across the country.

That is why the latest development involving the brand is likely to attract attention well beyond Maharashtra.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a formal notice to Mapro Foods Pvt. Ltd.’s Lonavala unit after an inspection found multiple non-compliances with prescribed hygiene and sanitary requirements under Schedule 4 of the food safety regulations. Adjudication proceedings have also been initiated for imposition of a penalty under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

The notice does not mean that all Mapro products have been declared unsafe. However, it places the widely recognised food brand under regulatory scrutiny at a time when food safety enforcement is being stepped up across the country.

FSSAI has recently intensified action against food businesses over hygiene violations, misbranding, improper labelling and other breaches. In Maharashtra, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has also stepped up inspections and enforcement across food businesses, including manufacturers, eateries and suppliers.

For consumers, the Mapro action is a reminder that familiarity cannot replace compliance. Even brands that have become part of family holidays and travel traditions have to meet the same food-safety standards.

BI Bureau