Mumbai FDA suspends licences of ISKCON outlets, IRCTC-linked supplier, other eateries

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of an IRCTC-linked supplier in Kurla and three ISKCON food outlets in Juhu over alleged non-compliance with food safety rules.

The licence of R K Associates and Hoteliers in Kurla West was suspended after an inspection on September 2. According to an official release, cockroaches were found in storage and processing areas, food was left uncovered, cooking was being done near garbage, floor tiles were broken, and walls had cracks and damaged surfaces.

Inspectors also found lapses in personal hygiene. One employee with an injured finger was found handling food, and only 21 of 34 food handlers could produce medical fitness certificates.

The action is part of a statewide FDA drive against food outlets violating hygiene and food safety norms, launched after IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe took over as commissioner in May this year.

Three ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) food outlets at Hare Krishna Land in Juhu were also inspected on September 3. At one outlet, records of periodic testing of water used in food production were found incomplete, raw material checks were inadequate, and temperature and humidity conditions for storing raw and cooked food were not maintained.

Food and non-food items were also found stored in a manner that risked cross-contamination and pest infestation, cleaning was incomplete, and measuring and monitoring equipment had not been calibrated. After reviewing the inspection report and photographs, an order suspending this outlet's licence was issued on September 7.

At the ISKCON Juhu food service restaurant, the back-door entry into the kitchen was found open with no pest control measures in place. Required lab testing had not been done, lighting was poor, there were lapses in raw material checks and cleaning, drains were clogged with food waste and pest debris, and records of food handlers' medical checkups, vaccination and training were also found lacking.

At the third outlet, ISKCON Govinda's restaurant, deficiencies were found in food testing, drinking water testing, raw material checks and segregation, cleaning, drainage, pest control, equipment calibration and hygiene training for food handlers. Its licence was also suspended with immediate effect from September 7.

Separately, an FDA inspector recommended suspension of the licence of Bombay's The Food Fusion Cafe in the Ghatkopar suburb, where rice was found uncovered, raw chicken was kept in an open container, cut vegetables were not properly sealed, refrigerator temperatures were incorrect, drainage was poor and utensils were unclean. Records related to water testing, staff medical checkups, vaccination and lab testing were also missing.

Suspension of the registration certificate of Shree Madhuram in Borivali East was also recommended because the establishment was operating as a food service restaurant despite being registered as a hawker or mobile food vendor. Flies, rotten vegetables, stagnant water, poor drainage, absence of a refrigerator temperature display, and missing food safety and staff records were also found there.

The FDA has also suspended the licences of Kothari Sweets and Mulund Farsan Mart in Mulund West, and Maharashtra Biryani Centre in Goregaon East.

In Navi Mumbai, the food business licence of Mateshwari Milk in Kharghar was suspended after an inspection on September 1. The company claimed to sell pasteurised, standardised and toned milk but had no pasteurisation equipment. Loose toned milk was being wrongly sold as cow's milk, while loose standardised milk was being sold as buffalo milk. The facility also failed to meet basic quality control and sanitation standards.