Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stepped up inspections of food establishments across the state, suspending licences and issuing improvement notices after finding serious lapses in food safety, hygiene, storage, pest control and employee health standards.
Among the establishments facing action are an IRCTC-linked base kitchen in Kurla, a milk business in Kharghar, a Zepto-linked food facility in Malad, two sweet and farsan establishments in Mulund, Maharashtra Biryani Centre in Goregaon and three food establishments operated at ISKCON’s Juhu premises.
The action follows inspections carried out by FDA officials under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the regulations framed under it.
IRCTC base kitchen was found with cockroaches and poor hygiene. The FDA inspected five establishments supplying food to railway passengers through IRCTC base kitchens and food plazas. Of these, the licence of R.K. Associates & Hoteliers Pvt. Ltd., Kurla (West) was suspended, while four establishments were issued improvement notices.
The inspection of R.K. Associates on September 2 found the establishment “Non-Compliant”, with a score of 78 out of 114 (69 per cent).
Officials reported live cockroaches in food storage and processing areas, food being kept uncovered and food preparation taking place near open garbage. Seventeen floor tiles in the kitchen were found broken, while cracks and damaged surfaces were observed at four places on the walls.
A food handler with an injury on his finger was reportedly found handling food. Of the 34 food handlers, medical fitness certificates were available for only 21.
The FDA also found LPG cylinders being used in proximity to food-processing activity, dirty and partly rusted utensils and food-contact equipment, and an unclean and rusted vehicle used for food transportation.
Records relating to packaging, training, maintenance, calibration, cooking temperatures and cooling processes were also incomplete or unavailable.
The licence has been suspended, and the establishment has been directed not to prepare, supply or sell food during the suspension period.
At Mateshwari Milk, Kharghar, inspected on September 1, FDA officials found several lapses relating to temperature control, hygiene, documentation and milk quality testing.
Temperature-monitoring devices were reportedly absent from tanks, deep freezers and other temperature-controlled storage equipment. Calibration records and documents establishing that storage tanks and pipelines were food-grade were also unavailable.
The establishment lacked proper cleaning schedules and records for Cleaning-in-Place (CIP), while flies were found in the storage area. Pest-control records, employee medical records and several other mandatory documents were not available.
More seriously, the FDA found discrepancies between the milk descriptions given to consumers and those displayed on storage tanks. While documents mentioned Pasteurised Standardised Milk and Pasteurised Homogenised Toned Milk, storage tanks reportedly carried descriptions such as 'Raw Buffalo Milk' and 'Raw Cow Milk'.
Officials also found that loose toned milk was being sold as cow's milk and loose standardised milk as buffalo milk, raising concerns about possible consumer misrepresentation.
The FDA further found that milk described as pasteurised was being transferred from one tanker to another and supplied to retail outlets despite the establishment reportedly not having the necessary pasteurisation facility. Records of tests such as organoleptic examination, temperature, fat, SNF, alcohol, urea, detergent and starch were not available.
Documents relating to suppliers and milk transportation were also not produced. Following a hearing on September 7, the establishment’s food business licence was suspended with immediate effect.
At Drogheria Sellers Pvt. Ltd. (Zepto), Malad West, the FDA found what it described as serious and widespread food safety and hygiene deficiencies. Live cockroaches were reportedly found in the raw-food storage area, including inside boxes containing packaged eggs. Cockroaches were also found on a beverage-preparation table at an adjoining delivery cafe.
The cold chain was another major concern. Milk, paneer and curd were reportedly stored at 14-15°C, instead of the expected 2-6°C range. The cold-storage room itself recorded temperatures of 20-21°C. Some food packages were also found swollen.
The facility did not have a regular potable-water connection for cooking and utensil washing and was relying on 20-litre water jars, according to the inspection findings. Open and improperly connected drainage lines were allowing wastewater to collect or flow through the kitchen area.
Employees handling food were also reportedly found without adequate protective equipment such as aprons, hairnets and gloves. Of 40 food handlers, 15 did not have the required medical fitness certificates, while vaccination requirements had not been completed for 25 workers. Most employees reportedly lacked the required food-safety training certificates.
Rusting and bent storage racks, poorly maintained walls and ceilings, cobwebs and a toilet located close to the food-storage area were among the other observations.
The FDA has suspended the food licence with immediate effect and prohibited food storage, sale, distribution, online order fulfilment and food preparation during the suspension period.
The FDA also acted against Kothari Sweet and Mulund Farsan Mart in Mulund West after finding unauthorised production units operating behind retail outlets.
At Kothari Sweet, officials reportedly found an unlicensed production unit operating without the necessary amendment to the food licence. The establishment scored just 41 out of 136 (31 per cent) and was classified as 'non-compliance'.
Among the deficiencies were an unclean freezer, inadequate temperature control, defective drainage, stagnant wastewater, inadequate separation of potable and non-potable water, improper storage of chemicals and hazardous substances, and cockroach and fly infestation.
Expired food and raw material were also found. Packaged sweets and farsan reportedly lacked mandatory labelling information, including batch number, manufacturing/expiry dates and ingredient details.
Mulund Farsan Mart was similarly found to be operating an unauthorised production unit. Officials reported poor freezer hygiene, inadequate temperature controls, defective and overloaded drainage, pest infestation and absence of a pest-control programme. Expired food, raw material and inadequately labelled packaged sweets and farsan were also found.
The establishment’s licence was suspended from September 7, with the FDA directing it not to conduct food business or store food during the suspension period.
At Maharashtra Biryani Centre, Goregaon East, FDA officials found repeated and serious food-safety deficiencies despite the establishment having previously been issued an improvement notice.
The inspection reportedly found inadequate hygiene and storage facilities, damaged surfaces, inadequate pest-prevention measures, poor drainage, evidence of pest activity, lack of a pest-control programme and inadequate personal hygiene facilities for food handlers.
The establishment also did not produce records of food testing, supplier compliance, packaging-material conformity, employee medical examinations and other mandatory documentation. Eight food handlers reportedly did not have records of annual medical examinations.
The FDA said a reinspection found that serious deficiencies continued. The establishment’s licence has therefore been suspended from September 8 until further orders.
Three food establishments operating at ISKCON, Hare Krishna Land, Juhu, were also inspected on September 3 and faced action over food-safety and hygiene violations.
At the ISKCON food-services restaurant, officials found an open rear kitchen entrance without adequate pest-prevention measures, inadequate raw-material checks, poor segregation of raw, cooked, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, clogged drains containing food waste and evidence of pest infestation.
The inspection also found deficiencies in employee medical examinations, vaccination, protective clothing and food-safety training. Required laboratory testing, calibration of monitoring equipment and records relating to production, raw-material use and sales were also not maintained adequately.
At ISKCON Govindas Restaurant, the FDA reported lapses including inadequate testing of drinking water, poor raw-material checks, failure to follow FIFO/FEFO practices, inadequate segregation of food, stagnant water in cold-storage areas and clogged drains.
Evidence of pest infestation was found, while medical fitness certificates and training records of food handlers were unavailable. Periodic laboratory testing and internal/external food-safety audits were also not being carried out as required.
The licence of the concerned ISKCON food establishment was suspended by an order issued on September 7, while Govindas Restaurant’s licence was also suspended with immediate effect.
The latest action covers a range of establishments from railway food suppliers and online food-delivery facilities to milk businesses, restaurants, sweet shops and institutional food services.
The violations flagged by the FDA point to recurring weaknesses in basic food-safety systems: pest control, cold-chain management, potable water, drainage, food-handler hygiene, medical fitness, laboratory testing, calibration, labelling and maintenance of mandatory records.
The FDA has reiterated that food businesses must comply strictly with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and applicable regulations. Establishments found violating food-safety standards will face regulatory action, officials said.
The department has also made clear that establishments whose licences have been suspended cannot continue food-related business during the suspension period, and violations of suspension orders can invite further legal action.
