The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized food products worth about ₹30.82 lakh and suspended the licences of five Mumbai establishments during a statewide crackdown on suspected adulterated, substandard, mislabelled and unsafe food ahead of the festive season.

Among the Mumbai establishments whose licences were suspended was BJRS (Gallops) Restaurant at Mahalaxmi Racecourse. During an inspection, FDA officials reported finding blood and ketchup stains from non-vegetarian food on ice stored inside a refrigerator, damaged packaging, grease accumulation in the kitchen, water stagnation and live cockroaches and ants. The FDA also flagged inadequate drainage covers and the absence of records relating to annual medical examinations and vaccinations of food handlers.

The largest seizure reported during the drive was at Gurukrupa Dairy Products in Malad East, where food products and equipment collectively valued at about ₹15.15 lakh were seized. The FDA alleged that refined sunflower oil, vanaspati and branded ghee were being blended in boilers to manufacture counterfeit white and yellow ghee and sold using misleading labelling under the name “Pooja Ghee”.

Officials also reported finding rats and cockroaches at the Malad premises. Gurukrupa Dairy Products was among the five Mumbai establishments whose licences were suspended following the inspections.

The action was carried out across 18 establishments in the Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions, involving more than 10,800 kg/litres of ghee, khawa, sweets, oil, tea powder, and other food products.

Another major seizure was made at the godown of Ashok Agro Products in Chandrapur, where the FDA seized 3,310 kg of tea powder worth around ₹6.76 lakh on suspicion that it was unsafe or substandard.

The other Mumbai establishments facing action were Gufran Seekh Corner in Versova, Dreamer Hospitality Pvt Ltd in Bandra West and Mirari in Bandra West. According to the FDA, Gufran Seekh Corner was operating without a valid food licence or registration and was found violating several food safety and hygiene requirements. It was ordered to stop operations until it obtained the necessary licence and rectified the deficiencies.

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The FDA said inspections at Dreamer Hospitality and Mirari found violations of hygiene and health-related provisions, with further legal action being initiated.

Elsewhere in Maharashtra, smaller quantities of suspected substandard or unsafe jaggery, peda, khoya, ghee, paneer, sweets, edible oil and spices were seized from establishments in Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur, Jalgaon, Nanded, Gondia, Gadchiroli and Nagpur.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said action would continue against establishments selling or storing expired or tampered food or preparing food under unhygienic and unsafe conditions.