Synopsis

Maharashtra FDA faces systemic pressures amid pushback from large restaurant chains. The agency is proceeding with hygiene crackdowns based on data and inspections. Licenses have been suspended for various violations, including unhygienic kitchens. Food safety requires a public movement and a 360-degree approach. The FDA is examining all establishments with the same impartial lens.

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The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does face “systemic pressures” amid significant pushback by some of India’s largest restaurant chains and elite clubs, but it is going by data and inspections to crackdown on hygiene violations. “There are systemic pressures, no personal pressures. Any profession has pulls and pressures. But we’ve looked at data and focused on surveillance and outcome. In addition, we have moved from samples to inspections,” the state’s FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe told ET in an interview.

He said his team is going category by category and doing inspections accordingly. “We are now looking at food consumed in the festive season which is here. Also, infant foods is a category we are examining.”

The FDA has called out or suspended licenses of some of Mumbai’s most elite names such as Olympia Coffee House, Cafe Mondegar, Flint & Waarsa, Parsi Dairy Farm and Willingdon Sports Club, and even Iskcon Temple, among others. Either improvement notices have been sent or licenses have been suspended on account of a range of violations such as unhygienic kitchens, expired stocks, incorrect labelling and lack of proper segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods.

Also Read: ‘We need to balance business & livelihoods with public health,' says Maharashtra FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe

“Food safety has to be a public movement and India needs a 360-degree approach to protect public health,” Mundhe said, adding that the FDA is examining everyone with the same lens. “We’re not looking at what’s big or small in size,” he said.

Amid calls to replicate such crackdowns in other states, Mundhe also addressed reactions by National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India), and the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) that called for a “balanced and consultative approach and opportunities to correct deficiencies before strict enforcement” in combined statements.

“Nothing has happened against the law. Food safety is non-negotiable and public health should not be compromised. Inspections are not random; there is a process that we follow,” he said. There have been over 12,000 inspections, and a little over 600 licenses have been suspended on account of non-compliance of the improvement notices, he added.

Also Read: Maharashtra FDA seizes food items worth lakhs in statewide crackdown on gutkha, milk products, sweets

The state FDA has also issued showcase notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff last month for endorsing Vimal Elaichi, on the allegations that the ads indirectly promote tobacco-related products and pan masala as surrogates, sales of which are banned in Maharashtra.

Some entities, such as the Mumbai Cricket Association contested the FDA move to suspend licenses of its eateries in Bombay High court, following which the latter FDA restored the licenses.

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