The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended 30 food licences and and seized 50,601.78 kg of food stock worth Rs 1.19 crore between September 23 and 27 as part of a statewide festive-season crackdown.
An FDA statement on Monday said 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.
Action was initiated against several establishments, including Kyani & Co, Colaba Sweet Mart, Arun Vilas Farsan, Ruchi Veg Restaurant, Daffodils Fast Food Inn and Subway over alleged violations of food safety and hygiene requirements, FDA said.
An inspection of Kyani & Co in Kalbadevi found cats, rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in the food preparation and storage areas, besides blood collected in a refrigerator and an open sewage manhole in the processing section, it said.
At Colaba Sweet Mart, officials found live cockroaches, lizards, flies and larvae, while the establishment also lacked required pest-control measures, staff medical fitness records and personal protective equipment, the statement said.
The FDA said licences of Arun Vilas Farsan in Dharavi and Ruchi Veg Restaurant in Parel were also suspended over hygiene and sanitary violations.
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.
The statement said the FDA suspended the licence of Daffodils Fast Food Inn in Vile Parle after finding extremely unhygienic conditions, including dirty refrigeration equipment, non-functional temperature displays and food stored alongside workers’ belongings.
The licence of EverSub India Pvt Ltd, which operates a Subway outlet in Lower Parel, was suspended after an inspection found a faulty refrigerator, a mould-like layer, foul smell and live cockroaches, it said.
In Thane in Konkan division, the FDA suspended licences or registrations of six establishments, including Blink Commerce Pvt Ltd and Foclo Technologies Pvt Ltd (Instamart).
The action covered food storage, handling and distribution requirements, with the FDA saying corrective and legal action was being taken based on deficiencies noticed during inspections.
Shri Siddhivinayak Foods, Chainess Dot Com, Jyoti Foods and New Golden Even Fresh Bakery were among other establishments covered, it said.
In Pune division, the FDA suspended the licence of a National Commodities Management Services warehouse at Tanang in Sangli district over unsafe fumigation and improper storage.
It also initiated legal action against Hotel Ashok Sai Niketan, Shivray Foods, Samarth Hospitality Services, Ajinkya Restaurant, Hotel Lokshahi, Hotel Surabhi and Nukkad Restaurant for violations of licence conditions and hygiene provisions.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, the FDA took action against Bangalore Bakery in Parbhani, Siddhanath Nagnath Agrovet Farmer Producer Company in Hingoli and Appa Chaha Center in Beed for violations of hygiene and sanitation requirements.
The FDA said it seized a total of 6,366.88 kg of food products worth Rs 28.54 lakh in Pune, Kolhapur and Solapur districts. The seized products included khoa, paneer, ghee, cream, sweets, shrikhand, lassi, coconut oil, farsan, potato wafers and bhadang, with some products suspected to be substandard, adulterated, unsafe or wrongly labelled.
In Konkan division, officials seized 23,806.90 kg of food products worth about Rs 39.99 lakh, including sev, chivda, gathiya, namkeen, wafers, oils, spices, dry fruits, tea, khoa, sauces, noodles, raw milk and sweets.
The FDA said the action covered Thane, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Sindhudurg.
The FDA said it seized milk and milk-based products at several locations during the drive. Among the specific seizures were 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, and suspected substandard milk and khoa in Konkan region.
The FDA also took action against food products in Jalgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Akola.
“In Jalgaon, 7,749.9 kg of food products worth Rs 4.28 lakh were seized, while in Nagpur division food products worth Rs 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 Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions for storage, sale and distribution of banned food products.
“Banned stock worth Rs 30.63 lakh was seized, 22 FIRs were registered, 30 people were arrested, three establishments were sealed and three vehicles worth Rs 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.
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