Maharashtra FDA suspends licences of 3 Mumbai food outlets over safety lapses

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended the licences of three Mumbai food establishments after inspections uncovered serious violations involving hygiene, storage, temperature control and other food safety standards.The establishments inspected were Prince of Wales Restaurant in Khar, Cafe Sifarish in Andheri East and a Zepto outlet in Chembur.At Prince of Wales Restaurant, officials found deficiencies in food temperature control, storage, equipment cleaning and pest-control measures.Cafe Sifarish was also found to have inadequate arrangements for food temperature control and storage, along with shortcomings in facilities related to employees' personal hygiene. Despite being issued a notice to rectify the deficiencies, the establishment failed to submit a compliance report within the stipulated period. Similar violations were found at the Zepto outlet in Chembur, where officials flagged problems with cleanliness, storage and food temperature control.During the inspection, the temperature of non-vegetarian chilled food was recorded at 9°C, while frozen food was stored at minus 11°C. The FDA said the prescribed temperatures for such food items are lower than those recorded during the inspection.The action is part of Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe’s “Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra” campaign, under which inspections have exposed alleged hygiene violations at restaurants and other food establishments across the state. While the drive aims to ensure compliance with prescribed hygiene, storage and food-handling standards, it has also faced criticism from some quarters over what they describe as a “shoot first, talk later” approach.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Aug 18, 2026 20:05 IST