Bhiwandi food poisoning: 79 people still hospitalised; FDA cracks down on eateries

Five days after a major food poisoning outbreak in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra, 79 people continue to undergo treatment at a local hospital after consuming snacks at a popular eatery, a senior medical official said on Sunday (June 21, 2026).The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has since launched a crackdown on food joints and sealed a prominent eatery in the town in Thane district.According to the police, several customers who had eaten food items at a local establishment on June 17 experienced stomachache and diarrhoea the following day and had to be rushed to hospitals.Talking to PTI, Dr Madhavi S. Pandare, Medical Superintendent of the IGM Hospital, said that 124 patients were admitted to the facility since the incident, and of them, 45 were discharged and 79 are currently under observation."The patients are stable and out of danger. Some of them still complain of abdominal pain and loose motions. We have sufficient staff and medicines, including ORS stocks, to handle the situation. Off-duty staff were also recalled for emergency duties," Dr. Pandare said.Patient samples have been sent for microbiological, chemical, and culture analysis to determine the exact cause of the illness, she said.FDA Assistant Commissioner (Bhiwandi) Santosh Shirosia said that following the incident, inspections were carried out across various outlets."We have sealed at least one eatery for violations and taken action against another for faulty declarations. Samples from the affected shawarma outlet have been sent for laboratory analysis, and the establishment was sealed," he said.Mr. Shirosia noted an unusual pattern in the incident."The outlet operates from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., but it was observed that only those who consumed shawarma after 10 pm fell ill. It is too early to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. We are also examining the preparation process of the dish," he said, adding that food poisoning cases typically spike during May-June due to prevailing climatic conditions.Local MLA Rais Shaikh told PTI that there was a continuous influx of patients until Saturday (June 20) and termed the improper regulation of such food outlets a matter of serious concern."Bhiwandi is a major logistics hub, and several godowns here reportedly sell expired items, which contributes to such mishaps. The FDA must take this seriously, and we expect raids on such storage facilities soon," Mr. Shaikh said. Published - June 21, 2026 03:52 pm IST