The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences or registration certificates of 30 food establishments and seized 50,601.78 kg of food products worth ₹1.19 crore during a statewide crackdown ahead of the festive season.
The action was carried out between September 23 and 27, with establishments across Mumbai, Konkan, Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions facing action for alleged violations of food safety, hygiene and licensing requirements, the FDA said in a statement on Monday.
The licences or registration certificates of 13 establishments in Mumbai, six in Konkan division, eight in Pune division and three in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division were suspended.
Several establishments in Mumbai were found with serious hygiene violations during inspections, including popular restaurants such as Royal China and the iconic Irani cafe Kyani & Co, which has been running for over 120 years.
At Kyani & Co, officials found cats, rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in food preparation and storage areas. Blood was also found accumulated inside a refrigerator and an open sewage manhole was found in the processing section, the FDA said.
At Colaba Sweet Mart, inspectors found live cockroaches, lizards, flies and larvae. The establishment also did not have the required pest-control measures, medical fitness records for staff or personal protective equipment, according to the statement.
{{/usCountry}}At Colaba Sweet Mart, inspectors found live cockroaches, lizards, flies and larvae. The establishment also did not have the required pest-control measures, medical fitness records for staff or personal protective equipment, according to the statement.
{{/usCountry}}The FDA also suspended the licences of Arun Vilas Farsan in Dharavi and Ruchi Veg Restaurant in Parel over hygiene and sanitation violations.
Daffodils Fast Food Inn in Vile Parle was found operating in extremely unhygienic conditions, including dirty refrigeration equipment, non-functional temperature displays and food being stored alongside workers' belongings, the FDA said.
The licence of EverSub India Pvt Ltd, which operates a Subway outlet in Lower Parel, was suspended after officials found a faulty refrigerator, a mould-like layer, foul smell and live cockroaches during an inspection.
The FDA said it initiated legal action against QSR Brands India, Royal China, Tiffin, United Bakery & Stores, Shree Padmavati Enterprises and Hotel Purandar Vilas for violations under Food Safety and Standards Act etc.
In the Konkan division, six establishments in Thane faced suspension of their licences or registrations, including Blink Commerce Pvt Ltd and Foclo Technologies Pvt Ltd (Instamart).
The action in the division covered violations related to food storage, handling and distribution. Shri Siddhivinayak Foods, Chainess Dot Com, Jyoti Foods and New Golden Even Fresh Bakery were among the other establishments covered, the FDA said.
In Pune division, the FDA suspended the licence of a National Commodities Management Services warehouse at Tanang in Sangli district over unsafe fumigation practices and improper storage.
Legal action was also initiated against Hotel Ashok Sai Niketan, Shivray Foods, Samarth Hospitality Services, Ajinkya Restaurant, Hotel Lokshahi, Hotel Surabhi and Nukkad Restaurant for alleged violations of licence conditions and hygiene provisions.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, action was taken against Bangalore Bakery in Parbhani, Siddhanath Nagnath Agrovet Farmer Producer Company in Hingoli and Appa Chaha Center in Beed over hygiene and sanitation violations.
Food worth ₹1.19 crore seized
The FDA said 6,366.88 kg of food products worth ₹28.54 lakh was seized in Pune, Kolhapur and Solapur districts. The seized stock included khoa, paneer, ghee, cream, sweets, shrikhand, lassi, coconut oil, farsan, potato wafers and bhadang. Some of the products were suspected to be substandard, adulterated, unsafe or incorrectly labelled.
In the Konkan division, officials seized 23,806.90 kg of food products worth about ₹39.99 lakh from Thane, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Sindhudurg. The seized items included sev, chivda, gathiya, namkeen, wafers, oils, spices, dry fruits, tea, khoa, sauces, noodles, raw milk and sweets.
The FDA also carried out seizures of milk and milk-based products at several locations. These included 385 kg of khoa and 19 kg of white butter in Pune, 909 kg of khoa and 349 kg of paneer at a dairy in Khed, as well as suspected substandard milk and khoa in the Konkan region.
Action was also taken against food products in Jalgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Akola.
"In Jalgaon, 7,749.9 kg of food products worth ₹4.28 lakh were seized, while in Nagpur division food products worth ₹32.74 lakh were seized or destroyed for unhygienic storage, adulteration, substandard quality, labelling defects and operation without a licence," it said.
The FDA said it separately inspected 26 establishments across the Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions for the storage, sale and distribution of banned food products.
"Banned stock worth ₹30.63 lakh was seized, 22 FIRs were registered, 30 people were arrested, three establishments were sealed and three vehicles worth ₹14.80 lakh were seized," as per the statement.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the government would continue strict legal action against establishments selling or storing expired, tampered or unhygienically prepared food products.
(With inputs from PTI)