Aug 13, 2026 4:39pm IST
Producers Weigh In As Industry Body FWICE Seeks Surprise Food Inspections On Film Sets (EXCLUSIVE)
Film Industry’s food suppliers could be next under Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe’s scanner. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has written to Mundhe, raising concerns over substandard food being served to crew members. The federation has also requested him to make surprise visits to film and television sets as well as the kitchens of food suppliers.
BN Tiwari, President of FWICE, said, “Thousands of people work in the industry every day, and the quality and hygiene of the food supplied to them should be inspected. All food suppliers, kitchens and warehouses serving the film industry should be checked so that everyone has access to food that’s safe and consumable. We need to take concrete action and put in place a system that works and hold people accountable.”
However, producers have a different view. Actor-producer JD Majethia says, “I can’t comment on the suppliers or on their kitchens, because we haven’t seen how the food is prepared there, just like we don’t have access to the kitchen of every hotel. But hygiene is something we need to pay attention to. As an industry, we have always tried to sort out issues together, and this too should first have been addressed internally before approaching authorities.”
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About the food served to his unit, Majethia adds, “No producer would want to compromise on the quality of food, because we pay enough to ensure that good food is provided to the unit. The standard meal includes two vegetables, dal, roti, rice, a sweet, papad, pickle and salad. A good variety of snacks twice a day, and often there are live counters for the same. This is the basic standard on TV serial sets, but higher budget units have much more than this every day. The focus should be on maintaining hygiene and ensuring good-quality food for the crew.”
Producer Asit Modi has addressed the issue through his show “Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.” He shares, “We have just incorporated this issue into an episode, where a glass piece is found in the pickle made by Madhavi bhabhi, and the FDA suspends her license.”
When asked about FWICE’s decision to write to Mundhe, Modi says, “There has to be a certain standard of hygiene and the food should be safe to consume. If any crew member complains to us, we immediately take up the issue and monitor it. Sometimes, our production team takes everyone’s feedback on the food quality. Workers are important to us and they must get good food. Those who supply it also keep that in mind.”
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Modi is not opposed to inspections of sets and food departments, but stresses that they should not become a source of harassment.
While Modi views FWICE’s decision to approach Mundhe as the organization doing its job, producer Ramesh Taurani says, “As far as we are concerned, the same food is served to everyone on a set. It’s not that senior crew members and actors get different food, while the other workers get something else. But if there are any hygiene issues or problems related to food quality, those need to be addressed.”
He adds, “As far as writing to Tukaram Mundhe is concerned, I think that may be going a little too far. Whatever problems the industry faces, we sit together and resolve them among ourselves. That’s how it should be.”
While FWICE has raised serious concerns, it remains to be seen whether Mundhe will act on FWICE’s request.
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