Mumbai: Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of 25 food establishments, including six Domino’s Pizza outlets in Pune, a hospital kitchen and a college canteen, following inspections that identified alleged violations of food safety and hygiene standards. The regulator has also suspended the licences of four edible oil and spice manufacturing units as part of a wider crackdown on suspected substandard, adulterated and incorrectly labelled food products.
According to an FDA press note issued on October 16, the licence suspensions followed violations of Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. The establishments covered by the action included restaurants, hotels, bakeries, canteens and other food businesses.
In a separate statewide enforcement drive, officials seized approximately 81,330 kg of food stock valued at Rs 1.73 crore from 37 establishments across six divisions. The seized products included edible oils, chilli and turmeric powders, supari, dry fruits, sabudana, bhagar, rajgira, tea powder and sweets.
The FDA said samples of the seized products had been sent for laboratory analysis. Further legal action will depend on the findings, while the separate licence suspensions reflect violations recorded during inspections.
Hospital kitchen, college canteen and eateries face action
Inspections across the Mumbai, Konkan, Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions resulted in the suspension of licences or registrations of 25 food establishments.
In Mumbai, seven establishments faced action, including Sophia College Canteen on Bhulabhai Desai Road.
Inspectors also flagged the Sodexo kitchen at Fortis Hospital in Mulund, where meals were being prepared for patients. The reported deficiencies included cockroaches, food waste in drainage areas, fungus-infested food transport containers and rusted knives.
The findings raised concerns about hygiene in a facility responsible for preparing meals for hospital patients, who may be particularly vulnerable to foodborne infections.
Janata Bakery in Jogeshwari East recorded 28 out of 88 marks, or approximately 32%, during its inspection.
At Arihant Aahar (Onyx) in Ghatkopar, an inspection was conducted following a complaint alleging the use of unauthorised artificial food colours in sweets.
The FDA also issued a closure notice to Manmandir Sweets in Borivali East. Inspectors reportedly found that sweets were being manufactured at an address different from the one listed on the establishment’s registration certificate. Other deficiencies included fly infestation, unclean utensils, missing medical certificates for workers and staff residing on the manufacturing premises.
The findings formed part of a broader inspection drive intended to identify food businesses that were not complying with prescribed hygiene and licensing requirements.
Six Domino’s outlets in Pune among establishments affected
In Pune, eight establishments faced licence suspensions, including six Domino’s Pizza outlets operated by Jubilant FoodWorks.
According to the inspection findings cited in the FDA press note, violations at the outlets included live cockroaches and cockroach remains, foul smells from toilets near dining areas, incomplete temperature records and inadequate separation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian ingredients.
The findings highlight several areas of concern in food preparation and storage. Pest infestation can contaminate food and preparation surfaces, while inadequate temperature monitoring can compromise food safety. Poor segregation of ingredients can also create risks for consumers, particularly where food-handling procedures are not followed.
The FDA’s action follows other recent enforcement measures against food outlets in Maharashtra. Earlier reports have documented licence suspensions involving Domino’s outlets and other eateries after inspections found hygiene and food-handling deficiencies.
Two establishments in the Konkan division and eight in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division also had their licences suspended.
The FDA’s findings concern the establishments inspected and should not be taken as a general assessment of every outlet operated by the companies involved.
FDA seizes 81,330 kg of food stock statewide
Alongside the licence suspensions, the FDA conducted a separate enforcement operation targeting food products suspected of being substandard, adulterated or incorrectly labelled.
The drive covered six divisions: Mumbai, Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur. Officials seized approximately 81,330 kg of products valued at Rs 1.73 crore from 37 establishments.
The seized stock included edible oils, chilli and turmeric powders, supari, dry fruits, sabudana, bhagar, rajgira, tea powder and sweets.
The FDA has sent samples for laboratory testing. Until the results are available, suspected adulteration or substandard quality should be treated as an allegation rather than a confirmed finding in each case.
The seizure operation also covered foods commonly consumed during religious fasting, with the Pune division reporting action against products such as sabudana, bhagar and rajgira.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar records largest seizure by weight
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division accounted for the largest reported seizure by weight, with 37,251 kg of food products valued at Rs 48.40 lakh.
The division also saw the suspension of licences at four manufacturing units.
At Pol Agro Industries in Lasur Station, officials seized 9,165 kg of refined soybean oil valued at approximately Rs 15.03 lakh. The unit scored 19 out of 86 marks, or around 23%, during inspection.
The FDA cited several deficiencies, including the absence of a laboratory test report, a technical person, adequate pest-control arrangements and food-grade packaging certification.
In Dharmabad, Nanded, inspections at Anand Food Product, Janta Industries and Shri Ganesh Mirchi Kandap Kendra resulted in the seizure of 25,768 kg of chilli powder, turmeric powder and edible salt worth approximately Rs 28.98 lakh.
The FDA said the products were intended for use in adulteration and suspended the licences of all three units with immediate effect.
Other seizures in the division included refined soybean oil, groundnut oil, safflower oil and cold-pressed sunflower oil. Officials cited concerns including suspected adulteration, poor quality and unhygienic packing conditions.
Nagpur and Konkan divisions report major seizures
In Nagpur, the FDA seized food stock worth Rs 45.75 lakh. The products included roasted supari, spices, tea powder and kunda.
The seizure included 6,178 kg of roasted supari valued at approximately Rs 23.17 lakh. Officials also seized 5,077 kg of chilli, turmeric and coriander powders, atta and tea powder worth around Rs 19.31 lakh.
In the Konkan division, seized products were valued at Rs 31.95 lakh. The stock included dry fruits, edible oils and savoury snacks, with suspected incorrect labelling and substandard quality cited in some cases.
The Pune division reported seizures worth Rs 36.25 lakh across businesses in Pune, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur. Products included sabudana, bhagar, rajgira, groundnuts, edible oils and wafers.
In Nashik, the FDA seized food products worth Rs 10.64 lakh, including tea powder, edible oil, sweets and bakery products. The reported concerns included suspected misbranding, substandard quality, excess food colouring and unhygienic manufacturing conditions.
Wafers and sweets also come under scrutiny
In Mumbai, officials seized 130 kg of potato and banana wafers, garlic shev, sing bhujia and schezwan sticks worth Rs 22,045 from Shree Sadguru Foods.
At Shri Ganesh Farsan and Sweet Mart in Kandivali West, 3 kg of jalebi and Maharaja halwa valued at Rs 3,150 were destroyed after food colour was found during inspection.
The action against these products forms part of the FDA’s broader effort to monitor food quality and manufacturing practices, including the use of colours, product labelling, storage and hygiene.
The regional seizure figures reported in the press note total approximately Rs 1.73 crore. Laboratory analysis will help determine whether the seized products breach applicable food safety standards and what further action is warranted under the law.
Separate drive targets banned food products
In another enforcement operation conducted on October 14 and 15, the FDA inspected 13 establishments and vehicles across the Mumbai, Pune, Konkan and Nagpur divisions to prevent the sale, storage and transportation of banned food products.
Officials seized banned stock worth Rs 18.83 lakh and two vehicles. The total value of the seized property, including the vehicles, exceeded Rs 21.83 lakh.
The drive also resulted in 10 FIRs being filed, cases being registered against 10 accused and four establishments being sealed.
In Pune, inspections at six establishments led to the seizure of banned stock worth approximately Rs 5.15 lakh. Six FIRs were filed, six people were arrested and three establishments were sealed.
In the Konkan division, officials seized banned stock worth around Rs 2.03 lakh, filed one FIR, arrested one person and sealed one establishment.
In Nagpur, banned stock worth Rs 21,030 was seized. One FIR was filed and one person was arrested.
The FDA said the operation was intended to prevent the sale, storage and transportation of prohibited food products. These actions were separate from the statewide seizure of suspected substandard and mislabelled food stock.
FDA awaits laboratory reports for further action
The latest enforcement drive combines licence suspensions, product seizures, destruction of selected food items and action against banned products. The findings at the hospital kitchen, college canteen, restaurants and manufacturing units underline the importance of compliance with food safety requirements throughout preparation, storage, transport and sale.
The FDA has said laboratory reports will guide further action in cases involving seized food products. Where violations are established, proceedings may follow under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
For consumers, the crackdown also highlights the importance of food hygiene, correct labelling and proper storage. The final outcome of the seizure cases will depend on laboratory findings and subsequent regulatory proceedings.