Tukaram Mundhe's Maharashtra FDA suspends licence of 122-year-old Kyani cafe in Mumbai: Here's what inspection found

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), headed by Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, has suspended the food licence of Mumbai's iconic 122-year-old Irani cafe Kyani & Co after an inspection revealed multiple hygiene and food-safety violations.

Officials found finding cats, rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in areas used for food preparation and storage, according to PTI.

The action formed part of the Maharashtra FDA's statewide festive-season enforcement drive carried out from September 23 to 27.

What did FDA find at Kyani & Co?

An inspection of Kyani & Co in Mumbai's Kalbadevi area revealed several hygiene-related violations. The FDA observed cats on the premises, along with rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in areas where food was prepared and stored.

Inspectors also came across blood collected inside a refrigerator and an open sewage manhole in the food-processing area, according to the FDA.

30 food licences suspended across Maharashtra

The five-day enforcement campaign resulted in the suspension of licences or registration certificates of 30 establishments, the FDA said. Of these, 13 were in Mumbai, six in the Konkan division, eight in the Pune division and three in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division.

Other Mumbai establishments were also penalised during the drive. At Colaba Sweet Mart, inspectors observed live cockroaches, lizards, flies and larvae. The establishment also lacked mandatory pest-control arrangements, medical fitness records for staff and personal protective equipment.

Arun Vilas Farsan in Dharavi and Ruchi Veg Restaurant in Parel were among the other establishments whose licences were suspended over hygiene and sanitation violations, as per PTI.

Daffodils, Subway outlet among establishments facing action

The FDA suspended the licence of Daffodils Fast Food Inn in Vile Parle after an inspection highlighted severely unhygienic conditions. Officials noted dirty refrigeration equipment, temperature displays that were not functioning and food being stored with workers' personal belongings.

EverSub India Pvt Ltd, which runs a Subway outlet in Lower Parel, also had its licence suspended. The inspection detected a defective refrigerator, a mould-like layer, an unpleasant odour and live cockroaches.

Legal proceedings were also initiated against QSR Brands India, Royal China, Tiffin, United Bakery & Stores, Shree Padmavati Enterprises and Hotel Purandar Vilas for alleged breaches of food-safety regulations.

Over 50,000 kg of food products seized

The statewide drive resulted in the seizure of more than 50,000 kg of food products valued at ₹1.19 crore, according to the FDA.

Officials seized 6,366.88 kg of food worth ₹28.54 lakh across Pune, Kolhapur and Solapur. The seized items included khoa, paneer, ghee, cream, sweets, shrikhand, lassi, coconut oil, farsan, potato wafers and bhadang. Some of the products were suspected of being adulterated, substandard, unsafe or carrying incorrect labels.

The Konkan division accounted for another 23,806.90 kg of seized food products valued at approximately ₹39.99 lakh. The items included sev, chivda, gathiya, namkeen, wafers, oils, spices, dry fruits, tea, khoa, sauces, noodles, raw milk and sweets.

Crackdown on banned food products

The FDA also conducted inspections at 26 establishments across the Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions to check the storage, sale and distribution of prohibited food products.

"In Jalgaon, 7,749.9 kg of food products worth ₹4.28 lakh were seized, while in Nagpur division food products worth ₹32.74 lakh were seized or destroyed for unhygienic storage, adulteration, substandard quality, labelling defects and operation without a licence," it said.

"Banned stock worth ₹30.63 lakh was seized, 22 FIRs were registered, 30 people were arrested, three establishments were sealed and three vehicles worth ₹14.80 lakh were seized," as per the statement.

The department also carried out seizures of milk and dairy products at multiple locations. These included 385 kg of khoa and 19 kg of white butter in Pune, as well as 909 kg of khoa and 349 kg of paneer from a dairy in Khed.

What did Tukaram Mundhe say?

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said authorities would maintain strict enforcement and pursue legal action against establishments involved in selling or storing expired or tampered food products, as well as food prepared or handled in unhygienic conditions.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X

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