FDA Suspends Licences of 5 Restaurants at Mumbai Cricket Association Premises Over Hygiene Violations

Mumbai Eateries Face Licence Suspensions After FDA Inspections

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licences of five restaurants operating on the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) premises after inspections uncovered a range of food safety and hygiene violations. The action covers the Permit Room, Pavilion, Mediterranean, Oriental Swing and Clubway & Pastry Counter at the MCA premises.

According to a report by Lokmat Times, FDA officials found rotten raw food at the establishments, along with poor sanitation and improper temperature control for frozen food. Food handlers were allegedly not wearing gloves while handling food, and officials said the lapses raised concerns over possible contamination. The FDA also found problems with the way food was being handled and stored at the premises.

Times Now reported specific violations at the MCA Permit Room, including an unclean and slippery kitchen floor, ice accumulation inside a refrigerator and inadequate temperature control. The FDA also found violations related to food safety, sanitation and food handling at the MCA Mediterranean and Oriental Swing establishments. At the Clubway & Pastry Counter, officials said food business activity was being carried out despite there being no valid food licence in the name of the concerned establishment, and its registration certificate was subsequently suspended.

Statewide Crackdown on Food Businesses

The MCA suspensions are part of a broader enforcement drive by the Maharashtra FDA, which has launched a statewide crackdown on food safety and hygiene violations. According to Times Now, the FDA has suspended the licences or registrations of nine establishments in Mumbai and taken action against several food businesses across the state, with inspections finding multiple lapses including poor sanitation, improper food storage, inadequate temperature control, poor ventilation and deficiencies in personal hygiene.

Among those affected is the Sankalp Mahila Audyogik Utpadak Sahakari Society Limited in Kurla, which operates a mid-day meal and canteen facility. Times Now reported that the organisation scored only 48% during an inspection and was marked “Non-Compliance”, with officials finding poor housekeeping, dirty and damaged surfaces, pest-control concerns, inadequate temperature monitoring and insufficient hand-washing facilities. Lokmat Times added that the inspection found dirt and grease on walls and ceilings, cracks in the flooring that had allowed water and food waste to collect, and inadequate arrangements to prevent pests from entering the premises.

Separately, the FDA suspended the licence of Cafe Cadel in Mahim. Times Now reported that Café Cadell in Shivaji Park was found to have shortcomings related to ventilation, flooring, personal hygiene, drinking-water records, insect-proofing and segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Lokmat Times said officials found violations linked to ventilation, pest control and food equipment, and that the establishment did not have proper records showing that water testing had been carried out.

The suspended establishments will not be able to operate under their existing food licences until the reported violations are addressed and the required regulatory conditions are met.

Expanded Inspections and Seizures Across the State

The FDA has also stepped up inspections under its “Safe Food for Every School Child in Maharashtra” campaign. Between July 28 and August 21, officials inspected 250 schools and food establishments located around school premises. Action was taken against 15 establishments, with licences or registrations of 11 food businesses suspended, four cancelled and two establishments ordered to stop business.

In additional enforcement actions across the state, the FDA found and destroyed 3,648 litres of loose pasteurised skimmed milk worth around Rs 1.24 lakh in Navi Mumbai, and took action under the Food Safety and Standards Act over 88.4 kg of cream suspected to be substandard. In Pune, 3,370 litres of cow milk worth around Rs 1.31 lakh was inspected after an acidity test returned positive, and the milk was suspected to be substandard. In Sangli, the FDA found discrepancies at a milk collection centre and suspected that cream separated from cow milk was being mixed with buffalo milk. The statewide drive involved the seizure of 7,332 litres of milk, 104 kg of curd and 88.4 kg of cream.