Pune: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the licence of a cafe in Kondhwa Khurd after a surprise inspection revealed serious hygiene violations and expired food items stored on the premises, officials said on Friday.The action followed a complaint received against the outlet on Salunkhe Vihar Road under the FDA’s ongoing “Safe Food, Safe Drug, Safe Maharashtra” enforcement drive. Food safety officers found the establishment violating mandatory hygiene and operational requirements prescribed under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, during the inspection conducted on Thursday.Officials also detected expired milk products of leading dairy brands with other expired food items stored in the kitchen. Citing concerns over public health and food safety, the FDA immediately suspended the establishment’s food business licence and ordered it to cease operations until further orders.Digambar Bhogawade, joint inspector, FDA, Pune division, said, “The action is part of an intensified statewide inspection campaign launched by the FDA under commissioner Tukaram Mundhe to improve compliance with food safety norms across Maharashtra. Hotels, restaurants and eateries are instructed to maintain hygienic kitchens, avoid the use of expired ingredients, provide safe drinking water to customers, refrain from reusing cooking oil and ensure strict adherence to licensing conditions.”Consumers have been encouraged to report complaints related to food quality or unhygienic conditions through the FDA’s toll-free helpline. Officials warned that stringent action would continue against erring establishments.The crackdown comes close on the heels of a major enforcement drive in the Pune division, where the FDA inspected around 70 hotels and restaurants over three days and suspended the licences of 10 food establishments, including seven in Pune district. Among the establishments facing action were restaurants and bakeries in Sinhagad Road, Wagholi, Bavdhan and Ambegaon areas. Ayurvedic medicines seizedThe FDA’s drug inspection wing in Pune seized suspected unlicensed ayurvedic medicines worth Rs 50.36 lakh during a raid conducted based on a tip-off about the illegal sale of bhasma (ash) and herbal medicinal juices without a valid licence.During the inspection, drug inspectors found large quantities of bhasma stored in plastic bags, jars and bottles. The products did not carry mandatory information such as batch numbers, manufacturing and expiry dates, the manufacturer’s name and address, or licence details, as required under drug regulations.The proprietor failed to produce purchase invoices or documents establishing the ownership and the legal source of the stock. Suspecting violations of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and the possibility of spurious or unlicensed medicines, officials seized the entire stock valued at Rs 50.36 lakh for investigation.
