With the festival season set to witness lakhs of devotees being served community meals — mahaprasad, prasad, bhandara — the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has mandated that organisers of large community feasts must provide a seven-day advance notice before serving food.

Issued by FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, this directive is part of a newly established permanent “Festival Enforcement Calendar” aimed at preventing food poisoning and checking food adulteration during large gathering events.