FDA suspends licences of eight Mumbai eateries over unclean kitchens, seizes 33 tonnes of rajma

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of eight food establishments in Mumbai. Inspections found filth in kitchens, rusted utensils and old bread being reused. Alongside the action against local eateries, the FDA seized more than 33 tonnes of substandard, wrongly labelled rajma, worth about Rs 50 lakh, from a warehouse in Nerul, Navi Mumbai.

The inspection drive was carried out on October 21 and 22. FDA officials said serious violations of the safety and hygiene norms under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards regulations were found. There were open, dirty drains near food preparation areas, surfaces had not been cleaned, and racks and cooking utensils were rusted.

In bakery units, inspectors saw returned and stale bread being mixed into fresh dough. The mandatory log of fridge and chiller temperatures was not being maintained. Staff were working without the required medical fitness certificates. Artificial food colours that are not permitted were also found to be used in sweets.

In Navi Mumbai, a team of the FDA's Konkan division raided the premises of RDC Agro Ventures Private Limited at Plot D-178/1, MIDC Shirwane, TTC Industrial Area, Nerul East. The team seized the entire stock of rajma after finding it substandard and labelled wrongly in violation of packaging rules.

The details of the seizure are as follows: 10,998 kg of small red rajma (valued at Rs 7.69 lakh) and 22,288 kg of whole rajma (bullet dal) (valued at Rs 42.34 lakh). In all, 33,286 kg of goods valued at Rs 50,04,580 were seized.

In this special drive, the FDA seized food items worth Rs 54.66 lakh across the state. In Nashik, teams seized 483.4 kg of suspect edible oil, butter, ghee and namkeen such as sev and papdi. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, officials seized more than 4,222 kg of loose jaggery and fennel seeds, worth about Rs 2.91 lakh, from Aurangabad Cold Storage LLP. Licences of two more units outside Mumbai were also suspended: another Domino's Pizza outlet in Beed and KK Bakers in Parbhani.

The establishments acted against in Mumbai include Domino's Pizza in Bhandup West (Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd), U Me at R City Mall in Ghatkopar West (Light Bite Foods Private Ltd), Nekzad Restaurant in Grant Road, S K Bakery in Mazgaon, Foodies Multi Cuisine in Bandra West, Arabian Lukma in Jogeshwari West, Bikkgane Biryani LLP in Govandi, and Delhi Zayka (Zidz Food and Hospitality) in Kurla West.

FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe said strict action will continue against food businesses that do not follow hygiene and quality norms. The department has appealed to consumers to complain if they come across substandard food, stale items or a dirty eatery. Complaints can be made on 1800222365 or at complaints.mahafda.in.