The Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has restored the licences of 86 food establishments whose operations had been suspended for violating prescribed rules, after departmental verification found that they had corrected the reported deficiencies.
The action was announced by the department on Friday. According to an FSDA spokesperson, licences of 112 food establishments had been suspended, of which 86 were restored after the establishments addressed the deficiencies and departmental checks confirmed compliance.
The restorations form part of the state’s ‘Shuddh Hi Shubh Hai’ food-safety campaign, launched on September 17, 2026. The campaign targets food establishments operating in unhygienic conditions and combines inspections, enforcement action and follow-up verification, according to the department.
Since the campaign began, FSDA teams have conducted 3,035 inspections across Uttar Pradesh. The inspections resulted in the suspension of 112 food establishment licences and the issuance of 1,752 improvement notices. The department did not provide a district-wise break-up of the inspections, suspensions or notices in the information released.
The figures show that the campaign has not been limited to immediate closure or suspension measures. The restoration of 86 licences indicates that establishments were permitted to resume operations after making corrections and passing departmental verification. The process places compliance checks between enforcement action and the resumption of business.
Dr Roshan Jacob, secretary and commissioner of the FSDA, said the campaign was not intended to harass food business operators or shut down their businesses. The department’s objective, she said, was to ensure that everyone associated with the food business in the state complied with the Food Safety and Standards Act and prescribed standards.
Jacob described the restoration of the 86 licences as a positive outcome of the campaign. According to her statement, the establishments made the necessary improvements in their practices and were allowed to resume operations after departmental testing and verification found them compliant with the applicable standards.
The enforcement process therefore involves two separate outcomes for establishments identified during inspections. Where deficiencies are found, the department can suspend a licence or issue an improvement notice. Where suspended establishments rectify the deficiencies and are subsequently found compliant, their licences can be restored. The department’s statement did not specify the nature of the deficiencies identified at the establishments or the individual timelines for rectification.
The 1,752 improvement notices issued during the campaign represent a further category of regulatory action. Unlike a licence suspension, an improvement notice gives the department a formal mechanism to require corrective measures, although the supplied information does not state how many notices have been closed or how many establishments remain under follow-up action.
For consumers, the campaign’s immediate relevance lies in the department’s verification of food establishments before allowing suspended units to resume operations. For food businesses, the announcement establishes that licence suspension is not necessarily permanent, but restoration depends on correcting deficiencies and securing departmental confirmation of compliance.
The FSDA’s next steps will include continued inspections and verification under the campaign. The department has not announced a completion date or provided a further target for inspections, notices or licence restorations.
