The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday suspended the licences of a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) canteen in Borivali West and another food establishment in Bhandup West following inspections that revealed serious violations of food safety and hygiene regulations.
According to an official statement, the FDA suspended the licences of M/s Best Canteen, located at Sai Ashram Bus Stop in LIC Colony, Borivali West, and M/s Instakart Services Private Limited in Bhandup West.
The action followed inspections that uncovered violations of Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011.
Officials found unhygienic kitchens and drainage systems, rusted racks and utensils, and instances of returned pav being mixed with fresh pav.
Other irregularities included incomplete temperature records, the absence of medical certificates for workers and the use of unauthorised food colours in sweets.
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ
Separately, the FDA carried out a special inspection drive across Maharashtra, seizing approximately 35,547 kg of food stock valued at an estimated Rs 79.97 lakh.
The inspections targeted suspected violations involving food quality, hygiene, licensing and possible adulteration.
In the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, officials seized 32,639 kg of food stock worth more than Rs 65.80 lakh from five locations.
The action included the closure of a turmeric manufacturing unit in Hingoli district, where officials seized 21,915 kg of whole turmeric valued at Rs 43.83 lakh.
In Kannad, authorities seized 626 kg of chilli and turmeric powder worth Rs 2.96 lakh.
Another 4,348 kg of turmeric powder worth Rs 13.04 lakh was seized in Parbhani, where the manufacturer's licence was also suspended.
๐จ๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐๐
The FDA also shut down an unlicensed cold storage facility in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city after seizing 4,222 kg of food stock worth Rs 2.91 lakh.
The seized items included jaggery, fennel seeds and special saunf.
In Nanded, officials seized 1,528 kg of refined soybean oil valued at Rs 3.05 lakh on suspicion of adulteration.
The seizures formed part of the department's wider enforcement exercise aimed at identifying food products suspected of failing to comply with prescribed standards.
๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ธ
In the Nashik division, FDA officials seized 2,908 kg of spices and ajwain worth approximately Rs 14.16 lakh from two locations.
The seizures included 2,230 kg of spices valued at Rs 11.86 lakh in Nashik and 678 kg of ajwain worth Rs 2.30 lakh in Jalgaon.
According to the FDA, the action was taken over suspected misbranding and substandard quality of the products.
The department said the inspections and seizures were carried out as part of its special drive to enforce food safety regulations across the state.