FDA suspends licenses of five restaurants at Mumbai Cricket Association over hygiene issues

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licences of five restaurants at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) premises over the alleged violation of food safety norms, flagging deficiencies in storage, food handling, refrigeration and sanitation., officials told PTI on Monday.

As part of its statewide drive, the food safety authority has suspended licences of 11 food establishments, including the five outlets at MCA, it said on Monday. The officials inspected 45 hotels, restaurants, eateries and dhabas during the drive, issued improvement notices to 33 establishments and conducted 25 raids.

The five MCA outlets facing FDA action are the Permit Room, Pavilion, Mediterranean, Oriental Swing, and Clubway & Pastry Counter.


Also read: Flies, cockroaches, fake cheese: Maharashtra FDA suspends licences of 7 Mumbai food establishments

Key findings of FDA action on Mumbai Cricket Association:

• Permit Room: Inspectors found ice accumulation in a kitchen refrigerator, an unclean and slippery floor near the kitchen entrance, inadequate temperature control, deteriorated raw material and deficiencies in food storage and handling. According to a PTI report, the outlet also lacked food-grade conformity certificates for food-contact packaging material and did not conduct regular checks of cooking oil.
• The Pavilion: The outlet faced action after inspectors found ice accumulation and unclean refrigerator components, poor segregation of food items in cold storage, inadequate refrigeration calibration, improper thawing of frozen food and shortcomings in cooling and storage practices.
• Mediterranean: The FDA found inadequate sanitisation of food equipment, improper cooling, poor portioning practices, inadequate thawing of frozen food, deficient temperature controls and shortcomings in the handling of raw materials and packaging.
• The Oriental Swing: The food outlet was found to have an improperly calibrated refrigeration system, an unclean kitchen floor, damaged plaster or paint on part of the kitchen ceiling, inadequate sanitisation and deficiencies in temperature control and oil-quality checks.
• Clubway & Pastry Counter: The FDA found inadequate working space, improper storage of raw food, lack of hand gloves for a food handler and inadequate measures to prevent dust, dirt and insects from entering the food preparation area. It also found that the food business was being carried out under the name of an establishment that did not have a valid food licence. The registration certificate of the outlet was subsequently suspended.

Last week, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe urged consumers not to buy loose or unsealed edible oil, calling it unsafe, and said a compliance order has been issued for the sector due to violations, including adulteration.

The latest crackdown on five restaurants at the Mumbai Cricket Association comes soon after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the FDA will be asked to frame standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent adulteration in edible oil without crippling the business of traditional oil traders and small retailers.

Speaking about the issue during a meeting of the state Cabinet, the CM stressed that the state government is seeking a "middle path" to balance strict quality enforcement and the livelihoods of traditional oil vendors and small consumers.

Fadnavis said, "Strict quality needs to be maintained. But at the same time, traditional businesses also need to be protected."

"We will find a middle path and prepare SOPs so that there is no adulteration in oil and traditional businesses do not have to be shut down," he added.

The CM added that the FDA would be directed to draft SOPs to strike a balance between food safety requirements and traders' concerns.