The Food and Drug Administration has suspended the licences of three restaurants at ISKCON’s Hare Krishna Land in Juhu, Mumbai, after an inspection found serious food-safety and hygiene violations, including pest infestation, blocked drains, inadequate food testing and poor segregation of raw and cooked items.
The establishments named in the FDA action are ISKCON’s Govinda’s Restaurant, Food Services Restaurant and another food establishment on the Hare Krishna Land premises. The inspection was conducted on September 3, according to the FDA release cited in the report.
At Govinda’s Restaurant, FDA officials found that drinking water was not being tested periodically and that raw materials were not being cleaned before food preparation. The inspection also recorded water accumulation in the cold-storage room, choked drains and the absence of grease or cockroach traps in the drainage system.
The FDA said there was evidence of pest infestation, while some food handlers were working without aprons and gloves. These findings formed part of what the regulator described as serious violations of food-safety and hygiene rules.
At the Food Services Restaurant, officials found that raw and cooked food items were not being properly segregated. The FDA also reported remains of insect faeces in the storeroom and said the establishment was not conducting the required testing of food items. Lighting was found to be inadequate in the restaurant and storeroom.
The regulator further said edible oil was not being checked periodically for colour, taste and floating particles. Medical examinations and vaccinations of food handlers had also not been carried out, according to the FDA’s account of the inspection.
The third restaurant on the premises was found to have serious deficiencies involving food safety, sanitation, pest control, personal hygiene, food storage, equipment maintenance, and training and record management. The FDA release did not identify the establishment by name in the report.
ISKCON Juhu said it had received a notice from the FDA following an inspection of its kitchen and food operations. In a statement, the organisation said the FDA had assessed its current level of compliance at 70% and identified areas requiring corrective action.
ISKCON said its representatives were communicating with the FDA and that corrective measures had been initiated in accordance with the regulator’s guidance. It added that the safety, hygiene and well-being of devotees and guests remained its highest priority.
The organisation also said kitchen operations at ISKCON Juhu would remain closed until the required corrective measures were completed and full compliance with applicable food-safety and regulatory standards was achieved.
