The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended the licences of 10 food establishments in Mumbai after inspections reportedly found hygiene and food-safety violations, as part of a wider enforcement drive that led to the seizure of suspected substandard, adulterated and mislabelled products across the state.
The operation covered the Konkan, Nashik, Pune and Vidarbha divisions, according to an official FDA statement cited by Mid-Day. It resulted in 12 first information reports, 13 arrests and the impounding of three vehicles. Officials inspected or intercepted more than 53,726 kg of solid food products and 6,098 litres of liquid products suspected of failing food-safety or labelling requirements.
In Mumbai, the FDA reported violations including 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 establishments whose licences were suspended include Huma Caterer at Islam Gymkhana, Central Canteen at JJ Hospital, F3 Corporate Hospitality Services at DJ Sanghvi College of Engineering, La Pinoz Pizza at Keshav Kunj on Linking Road, Golden Star Restaurant at Sakina Manzil, Narayan Dosa at Paras Centre, Milkoze Dairy Products in Kandivali East, Paliwal Dairy in Charkop, Nawab Juice Centre at Islam Gymkhana and Abrar Kirana Store near JJ Hospital.
The Mumbai action was part of inspections intended to check compliance with food-safety requirements at establishments serving or selling food to the public. The information available does not include responses from the affected establishments or details about the duration and conditions of the licence suspensions.
The largest seizure reported in the drive took place in the Konkan division, where FDA teams seized 52,016 kg of suspected substandard areca nuts at Turbhe MIDC in Navi Mumbai. The consignment was valued at approximately Rs 1.33 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.
In Jalgaon, Dhule and Nashik, enforcement operations led to four FIRs and five arrests, with illegal food products worth 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. The vehicle and its contents were handed over to local police, according to the information provided.
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. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, raids on two establishments resulted in the seizure of prohibited goods worth around Rs 4.41 lakh and two arrests. In Nagpur, officials seized 538 kg of misbranded bhagar, a millet-based food product, while 763 kg of refined soybean oil suspected of being adulterated was seized in Amravati.
The Maharashtra FDA said enforcement drives would continue to protect public health and improve compliance with food-safety standards.
