Highway Food Safety Under Question After Pune Woman Finds Fungus in Packaged Sweet Kharwas
Pune, 3rd November 2025: A shocking case of alleged food negligence has raised questions about hygiene standards at popular highway eateries. On October 30, science communication professional Gayatri Kshirsagar stopped at the well-known Jogeshwari Misal outlet at Theur Phata on the Pune–Solapur Highway and purchased kharwas, a traditional Maharashtrian sweet. The packet was sealed, labeled, and showed an expiry date still three days away.
However, when she opened it later during her journey back to Pune, she was appalled to find the sweet covered in mold and fungus, despite its recent packaging. “The sight and smell were unbearable,” Kshirsagar told Punekar News, calling it a serious lapse in food safety and consumer trust.
“This wasn’t just stale food — it was a clear case of negligence and risk to public health. As consumers, we put our trust in well-known outlets and pay the price expecting safety and hygiene. But what are we really getting in return?” she said, questioning the oversight of the Food Safety Authority.
Kshirsagar pointed out that while thousands of travelers rely on highway eateries every day, many food outlets may not be following proper storage and quality-control practices. “Selling spoiled food under the tag of ‘fresh’ is not just unethical — it’s dangerous,” she added.
She urged authorities to take immediate and visible action. “When citizens fall sick due to contaminated food, it’s not just a personal loss but a failure of the system meant to protect us. Food safety inspections should not remain confined to files — they must be done on the ground,” she said.
Kshirsagar also emphasized that food safety is a basic right, not a privilege, and called for greater accountability from both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local authorities.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the lack of regular inspection and quality control at eateries along highways, where food turnover is high, and enforcement often inconsistent.
Punekar News has reached out to the Food and Drug Administration (Maharashtra) for an official response.
