Mumbai's Iconic Cafe Mondegar Loses Licence Over Food Safety, Hygiene Lapses

Mumbai's iconic Cafe Mondegar is the latest eatery to face food safety action by Team Tukaram Mundhe. The licences of Mondegar and three other popular restaurants in the financial capital have been suspended by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after inspections exposed serious food safety and hygiene lapses.

Besides Mondegar, the three restaurants were Maharashtra Biryani Centre in Kandivali, Tribhuvan Dairy Farm in Ghatkopar West, and Mahavir Cashew and Foods Pvt Ltd in Ghatkopar East.

Located in Colaba, Mondegar faced food safety inspections on Saturday.

During the inspection, serious deficiencies emerged in safety and hygiene. The FDA said in a release that the lapses included a failure to store hot food at above 60 degrees Celsius and cold storage below 5 degrees Celsius.

Proper methods were also not adhered to for thawing food and cooling cooked food. Sanitation and other issues, the FDA said, exposed the restaurant to a risk of cross-contamination.

The four eateries were found in violation of Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Act that prescribes mandatory hygiene and sanitation rules.

Besides, action was also taken against nine food establishments in Mumbai for violations found during FDA inspections.

Those facing action are among the 38 food establishments inspected in the metropolis ahead of the festive season. As many as 47 food samples were collected during the inspections, including those of milk, khoya, and ghee.

Action was also taken against several establishments selling milk and milk-based products outside Mumbai. The food regulator has seized a total stock of 30 litres of milk and over 4,000 kg of milk products and sweets, valued at over Rs 15 lakh.

The action comes amid an intensified crackdown by the FDA on adulteration and hygiene violations, steered by the agency's new commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe, who has now become a household name in Maharashtra.