Tukaram Mundhe strikes again: FDA shuts Mumbai's iconic Cafe Mondegar in statewide raid over hygiene breaches

In a major enforcement drive targeting food safety and hygiene breaches, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the operational licences of Colaba's famous Cafe Mondegar alongside three other food businesses in Mumbai.

The action follows a regulatory inspection conducted on September 12 at Cafe Mondegar, located at Metro House in Colaba. According to the regulator, inspectors uncovered serious deficiencies that posed a direct risk of cross-contamination. Critical violations included a failure to store hot food above the required temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, failure to maintain cold storage below 5 degrees Celsius, improper food thawing methods, inadequate rapid cooling for cooked meals, and general structural and sanitary flaws.

The FDA similarly suspended the licences of three additional establishments for violating Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, which details mandatory hygiene and sanitation standards:

• Maharashtra Biryani Centre (Kandivali East)
• Tribhuvan Dairy Farm (Ghatkopar West)
• Mahavir Cashew & Foods Pvt Ltd (Ghatkopar East)

Festive season enforcement

The suspensions come amid an intensified statewide crackdown on food adulteration and safety breaches spearheaded by the new FDA Commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe.

As part of a targeted festive campaign running from September 11 to 14, officials inspected 38 food establishments across Mumbai and collected 47 samples- including milk, khoya, ghee, and sweets for laboratory testing.

Regulatory action was initiated against nine establishments for various deficiencies:

• Ruhafza Bakery (Khar West)
• Chandru's Pure Ghee Sweets (Andheri West)
• Sharma Dairy & Fast Food (Andheri West)
• Punjabi Chandu Halwai LLP (Grant Road East)
• Shri Narayan Dairy (Vile Parle West)
• Gulshan Dairy Farm (Khar West)
• Bhairavnath Dairy (Badlapur, Thane): cited for selling 30 litres of loose pasteurised standardized buffalo milk worth Rs 2,830 in breach of a July 3, 2026 directive.
• Ayush Milk Supplier (Andheri East): cited for improper storage and faulty labelling on sweet barfi and low-fat paneer; 23 kg of barfi valued at Rs 6,440 was seized.
• Brijwasi Mithaiyan Shop (Mulund West): officials collected a khoya sample and confiscated 225 kg of stock valued at Rs 60,300.

Statewide dairy seizures

Beyond Mumbai, FDA teams intercepted multiple consignments of suspected substandard and adulterated dairy items:

Kolhapur (Takawade): At Shivaratna Milk & Milk Agro Product, authorities seized 10 kg of halwa (Rs 6,000) and 198 kg of rabadi (Rs 45,540).

Pune (Patas): At Creamy Delight, officials seized 1,519 kg of cow milk, butter, and skimmed milk powder valued at Rs 8.50 lakh over labelling faults and suspected low quality.

Pune (Manchar): At Mahaveer Dairy, authorities seized 49 kg of khoya (Rs 13,720), 104 kg of paneer (Rs 31,200), and 11 kg of ghee (Rs 7,920).

Jalgaon District: Intercepted transport vehicles yielded 2,155 kg of suspected adulterated sweet halwa worth Rs 5.58 lakh. Local inspections also led to the seizure of 28 kg of substandard khoya from Brijvilas Dairy (Rs 12,600), 16.2 kg of peda and ghee from Ekta Dudh Dairy (Rs 15,200), 6.5 kg of peda from Tarachand Sundarji and Sons (Rs 2,600), and 19 kg of unhygienically stored shrikhand from the premises of Samadhan Pawar (Rs 5,320).

Across Maharashtra, the special operation resulted in the seizure of 30 litres of liquid milk and 4,138.7 kg of dairy products and sweets worth a combined Rs 15,58,072. Legal proceedings have been initiated in all cases.

Banned products and contraband intercepted

In tandem with hygiene inspections, joint FDA and police operations targeted illicit contraband:

Jalna District (Rajur): On September 9, authorities seized prohibited gutkha and food stock valued at Rs 95.30 lakh, along with transport vehicles worth Rs 40 lakh (total seizure value: Rs 1.35 crore). A case was registered against Sandeep Dattu Bhumkar, Ashish Dholtani, and supplier companies under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Food Safety and Standards Act, and MCOCA.

Beed District: Officers intercepted a Mahindra Scorpio transporting illegal gutkha near Barshi Naka, detaining Dattatray Ghodke and Omkar Ghodke. Authorities seized gutkha worth Rs 3.63 lakh and the Rs 7-lakh vehicle, booking the suspects and the supplying company under MCOCA.

Mumbai Special Drive: On September 12, a dedicated operation against five establishments dealing in banned items yielded Rs 20,21,100 in prohibited stock and five transport vehicles valued at Rs 98 lakh. Nine individuals were arrested and one FIR was registered.