Rats chewing through food packets, cockroaches in food preparation areas and lapses in storage and sanitation have put 17 food establishments in Mumbai under the scanner of Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On October 14, the regulator announced the suspension of licences and registrations of the establishments as part of a wider food safety enforcement drive during the festive season.
Among the outlets named in reports are three Domino’s Pizza locations in Parel, Andheri and Borivali, operated by Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. Other establishments reported to have faced action include Carnival by Tresind, Thanksgiving Patisserie and Confectionery, Darjeeling Lepcha Momos and Hundo Pizza.
The action follows inspections and subsequent
re-inspections that reportedly found a range of food safety and hygiene lapses. The findings varied across establishments, and the reported violations should not be taken to mean that every issue was found at every outlet.
What Did The FDA Find During Inspections?
According to reports on the enforcement action, inspectors found food packets gnawed by rodents, live cockroach infestations, inadequate pest-control measures and unhygienic premises at some establishments.
The inspections also flagged concerns about food handling and storage. These included improper storage of raw ingredients and cooked food, inadequate separation of the two, and the reuse of burnt cooking oil.
Other lapses reportedly involved dirty or uncalibrated refrigerators, failures to maintain mandatory records and instances where Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences were not prominently displayed. Officials also cited non-compliance with improvement notices issued earlier.
The suspension of three Domino’s Pizza outlets has drawn attention because of the chain’s national presence. However, the wider enforcement action covers multiple food businesses, with the reported findings differing from one establishment to another.
Maharashtra FDA Seizes Over 24,000 Kg Of Food Products
The enforcement drive extended beyond restaurants in Mumbai. Across Maharashtra, FDA teams seized 24,406 kg of suspected substandard, unsafe or mislabelled food products valued at approximately Rs 50.19 lakh.
The seizures covered several divisions, including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Greater Mumbai. The products included edible oil, sweets, sabudana, wafers, chakli, arecanut and buckwheat flour.
Two edible-oil repacking units in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar also faced licence suspensions after officials seized suspected substandard oil stored in rusted iron tanks.
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179207758206264481.webp)
