The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended the licences of 10 food establishments in Mumbai after inspections found alleged hygiene and food-safety violations, while a statewide enforcement drive led to the seizure of suspected substandard, adulterated and mislabelled products worth crores of rupees.
The operation across Maharashtra resulted in 12 first information reports, 13 arrests and the impounding of three vehicles, according to an official statement cited by Mid-Day. FDA officials inspected or intercepted more than 53,726 kg of solid food products and 6,098 litres of liquid products suspected of failing to meet food-safety or labelling requirements.
The 10 Mumbai establishments facing licence suspension include Huma Caterer at Islam Gymkhana, Marine Drive; Central Canteen at JJ Hospital in Byculla; F3 Corporate Hospitality Services at the DJ Sanghvi College of Engineering in Vile Parle West; La Pinoz Pizza at Keshav Kunj on Linking Road, Santacruz West; Golden Star Restaurant at Sakina Manzil in Charni Road, Girgaon; and Narayan Dosa at Paras Centre in Opera House, Charni Road.
The list also includes Milkoze Dairy Products Pvt Ltd at Captains Compound, Singh Estate, Kandivali East; Paliwal Dairy Shri Rohit Khetawat in Charkop, Kandivali West; Nawab Juice Centre at Islam Gymkhana in Marine Lines; and Abrar Maiku Khan, operating as Abrar Kirana Store, near JJ Hospital on Gangaram Sakpal Marg.
The violations reported during the Mumbai inspections included unhygienic kitchens, missing medical and safety certificates, rodent and cockroach infestations, improper separation of raw and cooked food, and the absence of valid food-safety licences. The information supplied did not include responses from the affected establishments.
In the Konkan division, FDA teams seized 52,016 kg of suspected substandard areca nuts at Turbhe MIDC in Navi Mumbai. The consignment was valued at approximately Rs 13.3 crore. At Taloja MIDC in Panvel, officials intercepted more than 4,500 litres of raw cow and buffalo milk that was allegedly incorrectly labelled and seized 119 kg of paneer suspected of being substandard.
Enforcement operations in Jalgaon, Dhule and Nashik led to four FIRs and five arrests, with illegal food products valued at approximately Rs 23.24 lakh seized. In Nandurbar, officials seized an Eicher truck carrying banned Vimal Pan Masala and V1 tobacco products valued at around Rs 69.47 lakh and handed the vehicle and its contents to local police.
The FDA also reported seizures in other regions. In Pune, teams seized mislabelled farsan and 1,484 litres of milk that reportedly failed acidity tests. Raids on two establishments in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar resulted in the seizure of prohibited goods worth around Rs 4.41 lakh and two arrests. In Vidarbha, officials seized 538 kg of misbranded bhagar, a millet-based food product, in Nagpur and 763 kg of refined soybean oil suspected of being adulterated in Amravati.
The Maharashtra FDA said enforcement drives would continue to protect public health and improve compliance with food-safety standards.
