Maharashtra FDA suspends licences of three food establishments at ISKCON Juhu

Tukaram Mundheled Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration FDA on Tuesday September 8 has cancelled the licences of three food establishments operating at ISKCON Juhu as part of a wider crackdown on food safety and hygiene violations across the state an official statement issued by the FDA saidThe FDAs action against the three establishments at ISKCON Juhu comes amid increased scrutiny of food businesses over compliance with food safety standards and regulationsThe inspections covered food establishments operating at the ISKCON premises including its Food ServicesRestaurant establishment and Govindas Restaurant The FDA said serious violations of food safety and hygiene requirements were detected and consequently the licences of three establishments have been suspended the statement saidISKCON Juhu establishments inspected by FDAAccording to the FDA the ISKCON premises at Hare Krishna Land Sri Mukteshwar Devalaya Marg Juhu were inspected on September 3The department said the inspections revealed serious violations of the food safety and hygiene conditions mandated under the Food Safety and Standards Act and the regulations governing food businessesAmong the establishments inspected was the Food ServicesRestaurant operating at ISKCON Juhu The FDA said serious violations of food safety and hygiene rules were found during the inspection following which its licence was suspendedThe ISKCONGovindas Restaurant was also inspected on the same day The FDA said serious violations of food safety and hygiene requirements were detected at the restaurant as well resulting in suspension of its licenceMaharashtra FDA has also suspended the licence of a third food establishment operating at the ISKCON Juhu premisesView this post on InstagramA post shared by midday middayindiaFDA suspends licence of establishment supplying food to IRCTC food plazaAs part of its drive to ensure safe food for railway passengers the FDA inspected five establishments supplying food to passengers from base kitchens and food plazas under IRCTC in Mumbai and Thane Of the five establishments the FDA said the licence of one was suspended while correction notices were issued to the remaining fourThe establishments inspected by the Maharashtra FDA includedR K Associates Hoteliers Pvt Ltd in Kurla WestOm Sai Ram Enterprises in ChemburAmbuj Hotels amp Real Estate Pvt Ltd in ChemburExpress Food Services in PowaiAraha Hospitality Pvt Ltd in Kopri Colony Thane EastThe food licence of R K Associates Hoteliers Pvt Ltd was suspended following an inspection conducted on September 2 2026 The establishment was declared ldquoNonCompliantrdquo scoring 78 out of 114 marks or around 69 per cent during the inspectionHowever IRCTC while issuing an official statement said IRCTC has completed the necessary corrective measures at the Kurla Base Kitchen in accordance with the prescribed standards The operations of the said kitchen will resume from tomorrowNecessary corrective measures at the remaining locations are currently in progress they further addedCockroaches found in food storageThe FDA found several food safety and hygiene deficiencies at the establishment including cockroaches in food storage and serving areas open food containers and food preparation being carried out near open garbageThe inspection also found 17 broken floor tiles in the kitchen and cracks and poor wall surfaces at four locationsConcerns were also raised over the personal hygiene of food handlers One employee was found handling food despite having a wound on his finger Of the 34 foodhandling employees only 21 had medical fitness certificates available during the inspectionFDA takes action on various Mumbai food establishmentsAs per the official note issued by the Maharashtra FDA Bombays The Food Fusion Cafe in Ghatkopar was inspected following a viral complaint and received 51 out of 98 points with the inspection report recording ldquoNonCompliancerdquoOfficials cited improperly stored rice uncovered raw chicken inadequately sealed vegetables improper refrigerator temperatures poor drainage unclean utensils and missing employee medical vaccination and foodsafety training records The FDA recommended suspension of its food licenceBombays The Food Fusion Cafe in Ghatkopar was inspected following a viral complaint and received 51 out of 98 points with the inspection report recording ldquoNonCompliancerdquoShree Madhuram in Borivali East scored only 29 out of 82 points The establishment was reportedly registered as a hawkermobile food vendor but was operating as a foodservice restaurantThe FDA suspended the licence of Kothari Sweet Mulund West after an inspection found an allegedly unauthorised production unit operating behind a retail outletMulund Farsan Mart also faced licence suspension after inspectors reportedly found an unauthorised production unit poor refrigeration inadequate temperature control pestcontrol deficiencies expired food and missing labelling informationMaharashtra Biryani Center FDA additionally suspended the licence of Maharashtra Biryani Center in Goregaon East citing deficiencies involving hygiene storage pest control laboratory testing drainage employee medical records foodsafety documentation and internal audits The licence was suspended from September 8 until further ordersZepto facility in Malad faces actionA particularly significant action involved Drogheria Sellers Pvt Ltd Zepto Malad West where the FDA said it found widespread hygiene and foodsafety violationsAccording to the inspection findings live cockroaches were found in rawfood storage areas including inside a box of packaged eggs while cockroaches were also reportedly found on a beveragepreparation table in an adjoining delivery cafeacuteThe FDA also reported a serious coldchain issue with perishable dairy products such as milk paneer and curd stored at 14ndash15 degrees Celsius compared with the expected 2ndash6 degrees Celsius range The coldstorage room was reportedly at 20ndash21 degrees Celsius while some food packages showed signs of swellingKharghar milk business unit faces FDA actionMaharashtra FDA has also taken action against Mateshwari Dairy in Kharghar after detecting irregularities in its milk business The establishments licence has been revoked according to the departmentThe enforcement drive carried out by the food regulator forms part of their continued inspections of food establishments to ensure compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and related regulationsFDA further said its inspections of railway base kitchens food plazas and establishments supplying food to railway passengers would continue with strict action against businesses found compromising food quality hygiene and safety standards