FDA Suspends Licences of 13 Food Establishments Across Maharashtra After Inspections
MUMBAI — The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) suspended the food business licences and registration certificates of 13 establishments across Maharashtra, including prominent clubs and restaurants in Mumbai's Colaba, Khar West, Nariman Point, and Malad, following inspections that uncovered severe hygiene, structural, and food safety violations.
The action was part of a special inspection drive across Maharashtra led by FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. During the drive, officials inspected 89 hotels, restaurants, and dhabas statewide, issuing improvement notices to 71 establishments and suspending the licences of 13 food businesses.
In Colaba, the FDA suspended the food business licence of The Bombay Presidency Radio Club after inspectors found a large-scale infestation of live flies and dead cockroaches in kitchen areas. The establishment had also failed to maintain records of cleaning schedules, temperature control, and proper waste management.
The licence for the McDonald's outlet in Colaba was also suspended after officials detected a live cockroach infestation in the kitchen. Staff members were allegedly observed handling ready-to-eat food without washing their hands after touching dirty footwear and cleaning cloths. Although the outlet submitted a 148-page compliance report on August 12, a reinspection revealed unresolved deficiencies, as well as the use of a non-dairy analogue sauce labelled "GO Cheese SAUCE" despite customer-facing claims of real cheese and paneer.
At Nariman Point, Status Restaurant faced an immediate suspension on Thursday following a customer complaint. Inspectors found an employee washing his face over clean food utensils, leading to wastewater splashing onto them. The inspection also revealed dirty crockery, stagnant water, rust, grease deposits, and workers lacking personal protective equipment.
In Khar West, the registration certificate of Khar Gymkhana was suspended due to inadequate storage, poor cleanliness in preparation zones, lack of hot water for utensils, improper thawing of frozen food, and failure to segregate raw and prepared items.
In Malad, Ingenious Kitchens Pvt Ltd, operator of Novaara restaurant, lost its licence after an August 13 reinspection showed that 14 out of 25 previously flagged deficiencies remained unaddressed. Deficiencies included old non-conforming utensils, absent grease and cockroach traps in drainage lines, and inadequate medical records for food handlers.
Other Mumbai establishments facing licence suspensions include Bajrang Sweet Mart in Santacruz West and ASM Hotels and Hospitality Services Pvt Ltd in Andheri West. Across the rest of Maharashtra, suspensions were issued to Du Brothers Shawarma in Nagpur, Avanti Snacks in Nashik, Pintu Yadav Sweets in Amravati, and three establishments in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Parbhani.
