Rodents, uncovered meat, poor hygiene: Maharashtra FDA suspends 2 licences, moves against 2 more

Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licences of two establishments in Mumbai and initiated proceedings against two others for alleged violations of food safety, hygiene and health standards, officials said on Wednesday.

The action is part of a series of recent crackdowns by the state regulator, which recently suspended the licence of a Blinkit facility in Akola and two eateries in Mumbai over alleged unhygienic conditions and food safety violations.

The FDA, headed by commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, suspended with immediate effect the licence of Eatclub Brands Private Limited at Royal Palms in Aarey Milk Colony under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

An inspection found inadequate storage facilities for food, packaging material, chemicals and employees' belongings, besides insufficient hand-washing and hygiene facilities, inadequate ventilation and pest-control measures, the FDA said.

Inspectors also found shortcomings in the inspection and cleaning of raw materials, lack of required protective equipment for food handlers, questionable annual medical examination records and an inadequate mechanism for addressing consumer complaints, it said.

The licence was suspended with effect from September 2, according to the order.

The FDA also suspended the licence of Rani Diets Consultant and Service Providers in Jari Mari, Kurla West, after inspectors allegedly found rodent infestation, unhygienic food preparation and storage areas, stagnant water and improper waste disposal.

Raw meat and other high-risk food items were allegedly stored uncovered in refrigerators and freezers, while food items lacked proper labelling and expiry or date markings, the FDA said.

The inspection also found inadequate temperature controls, poor personal hygiene among food handlers and deficiencies in records relating to cooking, reheating and cooling.

The establishment did not maintain records of periodic internal or external food safety audits, while several mandatory documents and records were incomplete or unavailable, the FDA said.

Its licence was suspended with immediate effect from September 2.

In the case of Goodluck Bakery and Stores in Chembur, the FDA has initiated proceedings to suspend its FSSAI licence after an inspection allegedly found widespread non-compliance.

The deficiencies included inadequate storage and pest-proofing, lack of water-testing records, poor sanitation and temperature control, improper waste disposal, inadequate protective clothing and deficiencies in employee health records, the agency said.

Suspension proceedings have also been proposed against Ashfaque Bakery in Chembur for alleged lapses in storage, pest control, water testing, food packaging, temperature control, personal hygiene, medical records, employee training and food safety audits.

The latest action follows inspections of food establishments across the state in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, the FDA said it had suspended the food licences of Delhi Sweet and Bhelpuri House in Malad and Gulzar Mohammadi Hotel in Kurla West, besides suspending the food registration certificate of a Blinkit centre in Akola.

At Delhi Sweet and Bhelpuri House, inspectors allegedly found food being stored near dirty drains and the use of unfiltered tap water for cooking and drinking without water-testing reports.

The establishment was also allegedly producing and repacking products such as lassi, sweets, paneer and farsan despite holding a licence for only Category 16 (Prepared Foods).

Some workers were also allegedly found handling food with unbandaged burns and untrimmed nails.

At the Blinkit centre in Akola, a re-inspection found that several deficiencies cited in an earlier improvement notice, including poor storage conditions and unsuitable racks, had not been rectified.

Its licence was suspended until further orders after a hearing on August 31.

The FDA has also recently busted an alleged racket involving tampering with manufacturing and expiry dates of packaged food products in Navi Mumbai.

The joint operation by the FDA and Navi Mumbai Police Crime Branch was conducted between August 24 and 29 at Sadhna Enterprises in the Turbhe area, where officials allegedly found food products being stored, repacked and relabelled for resale.

The seized stock included potato chips, noodles, soups, mayonnaise, beverages and other packaged foods linked to 10 exporter companies.

The FDA said 4,942 cartons of food stock valued at ₹75.21 lakh, along with unlabeled and expired goods worth ₹1.30 lakh, were seized.

Mundhe has said the FDA would take stringent legal action against those compromising food quality and public health and against those storing or selling expired or tampered food products.