This Ganesh Chaturthi, expect your prasad to be cleaner than ever

Other than hopping from one Ganpati pandal to another, what devotees in Mumbai eagerly queue up for during Ganesh Chaturthi (besides darshan) is the prasad. Whether it’s a coconut laddoo or warm ukadiche modak, these festive offerings remain the highlight of the festival, and this year, they're going to be an ultra-sanitary affair, because the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced a 21-point Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi 2026.

Hailed as a historic move coming close on the heels of several shutdowns of popular food joints following non-compliance with safety procedures, these SOPs are designed to ensure that all sweets offered by the Ganpati pandals across the city are hygienically produced, stored and distributed, and safe for public consumption. 

What SOPs has the FDA issued this Ganesh Chaturthi? 

The new guidelines issued by the FDA for Ganesh Chaturthi this year cover nearly every step of preparing and distributing prasad. The Ganpati mandals have been instructed to use clean drinking water and maintain hygienic kitchens – food handlers should be wearing head covers, gloves and aprons – plus raw and cooked food to be stored separately to avoid contamination. 

Additionally, the FDA’s SOP also discourages the use of artificial and non-permitted food colours and reminds the organisers to source the food ingredients only from the licensed vendors. The freshly made food needs to be stored at safe temperatures, and utensils, cooking surfaces, and serving containers should be sanitised regularly.

To summarise: Ganpati Bappa’s bhog should get equal treatment as a well-run professional kitchen.

Food Safety on Wheels at Ganpati pandals

Beyond issuing SOPs for food safety, FDA moves a step further. To ensure that the guidelines aren’t just on paper, it will deploy its Food Safety on Wheels mobile laboratories across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra during Ganesh Chaturthi. These vans will conduct on-the-spot food testing and inspect kitchens where Ganpati prasad would be prepared. 

The samples of sweets and other offerings would also be collected by the Food Safety officers for quality checks. The initiative aims to identify adulteration, poor hygiene practices, and unsafe ingredients before food reaches devotees.