The action, led by FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, is part of a wider food-safety drive targeting sanitation and compliance lapses. According to ANI, licences of 20 food establishments, including hotels and restaurants, have also been suspended across Maharashtra, with six in Mumbai, three in the Konkan division and 11 in the Pune division.
The FDA suspended the licence of R K Associates & Hoteliers in Kurla West after an inspection on September 2. According to an official FDA release, inspectors found cockroaches in storage and processing areas, uncovered food, food preparation near open garbage, and damaged floors and walls.
The base kitchen supplies food to railway passengers through the IRCTC network. During the inspection, the facility was declared non-compliant and scored 78 out of 114, or 69 per cent.
Inspectors found live cockroaches in food storage and processing areas, while food was kept uncovered and preparation was taking place near open garbage. The facility had 17 broken floor tiles and damaged wall surfaces. Utensils and food-contact equipment were unclean and partly rusty.
Food was also being prepared close to LPG cylinders. An unclean and rusty vehicle was being used to transport food. Records relating to staff training, packaging, equipment maintenance, calibration, and cooking and cooling temperatures were incomplete.
Staff health records were also found to be inadequate. Only 21 of 34 food handlers had medical fitness certificates. The FDA said one worker was handling food despite having a wound on a finger.
The FDA also issued improvement notices to four other IRCTC-linked operators, ANI reported.
The FDA inspected three food establishments at Iskcon, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Hare Krishna Land, Juhu, on September 3, according to the official release.
At one establishment, inspectors found gaps in water-testing and raw-material inspection records, along with improper temperature and humidity conditions for storing raw and prepared food. They also flagged potential cross-contamination, pest infestation, inadequate cleaning, and a lack of calibration of measuring and monitoring devices.
The Iskcon Food Services Restaurant was found to have an open rear kitchen entrance without adequate pest-control measures and inadequate lighting. Inspectors also found clogged drains containing food waste and pest droppings, along with gaps in laboratory testing, raw-material inspection, cleaning, and food-handler health and training records.
Iskcon Govindas Restaurant had deficiencies in food and drinking-water testing, raw-material inspection and segregation, cleaning, drainage, pest control, equipment calibration, and food-handler hygiene and training.
After examining the inspection report and photographs, the FDA suspended the licences of all three establishments with immediate effect on September 7.
The crackdown also extended beyond Kurla and Juhu. At Drogheria Sellers Pvt Ltd, a facility linked to Zepto, the FDA said inspectors found live cockroaches in raw-food storage areas, including inside boxes containing packaged eggs.
Milk, paneer, and curd were also stored at 14-15°C, well above the recommended 2-6°C range. The facility faced further concerns over drainage, water supply, employee protective equipment, and missing medical and training records, The Week reported.
Its food licence was suspended, and the FDA prohibited food storage, sale, distribution, and online order fulfilment during the suspension.
At Mateshwari Milk in Kharghar, FDA officials flagged temperature-control failures, hygiene issues, missing testing records, and discrepancies in the labelling and description of milk products. Its licence was suspended after a hearing on September 7.
At Kothari Sweet in Mulund West, inspectors found an unauthorised production unit, expired food, pest infestation, poor drainage, and inadequate labelling. The outlet scored just 31 per cent for compliance, and its licence was suspended.
Mulund Farsan Mart in Mulund West was also found operating an unauthorised production unit, alongside pest-control, drainage, freezer hygiene, and expired-food concerns. Its licence was suspended from September 7.
At Maharashtra Biryani Centre in Goregaon East, the FDA found that serious deficiencies continued despite an earlier improvement notice, including poor hygiene, drainage, and pest-control measures. Its licence was suspended from September 8.
The FDA has recommended suspending the food licence of Bombay's - The Food Fusion Cafe in Ghatkopar after inspectors found uncovered rice, raw chicken in an open container, improperly sealed vegetables, inadequate refrigerator temperatures, defective drainage, and unclean utensils.
The FDA also flagged gaps in water testing, staff medical records, and vaccination records.
At Shree Madhuram in Borivali East, officials recommended suspending its registration certificate after finding that a hawker or mobile food vendor was operating as a food-service restaurant.
The inspections and subsequent licence suspensions mark the latest enforcement action by the Maharashtra FDA against food establishments over sanitation, hygiene, storage, pest control, documentation, and food-safety compliance violations.
About The Author
Comment List