The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licence of Mumbai’s 125-year-old Orient Club after inspectors found food safety and hygiene violations during a statewide Diwali enforcement drive. The action was part of a wider operation in which licences and registrations of 43 establishments were suspended and 17,824 kg of food products worth Rs 63 lakh were seized.
The Orient Club, located opposite the Chowpatty seaface, was among 73 establishments inspected across Maharashtra. The heritage club, known for its vegetarian menu, was one of five Mumbai establishments facing regulatory action in the drive.
Other Mumbai establishments whose licences or registrations were suspended were Mishti Bela and Company at Walkeshwar, Amar Sweetmeat Mart at Kalachowki and Jain Provision Stores at Malabar Hill. In the wider Greater Mumbai region, the FDA also suspended the licences of Kesar Sweets in Navi Mumbai and Sangeeta Farsan and Wafers in Dombivli.
According to the FDA inspectors cited in the report, the inspections found unhygienic production and storage conditions, inadequate pest control and missing food safety records. The establishments were also found lacking documents or records including water analysis reports, medical certificates for food handlers and purchase bills.
The seized products included khoya, sweets, paneer, farsan and edible oils. These products are widely used in festive food preparation and distribution, making their storage, sourcing and handling central to the regulator’s Diwali enforcement exercise.
The statewide action illustrates the role of food safety regulation in managing risks across the city’s formal and informal food economy. Restaurants, sweet shops, provision stores and food manufacturers operate at different scales, but all are required to meet the applicable food safety and record-keeping requirements.
“Whether a brand is big or small, the rules are the same for all and the action will be equally strict. Honest businesses have our full cooperation; however, no leniency will be shown to those who endanger public health,” FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said.
The FDA’s action comes as festive demand increases the volume of sweets, dairy products, savouries and edible oils moving through urban food supply chains. The establishments named in the inspection drive now face the consequences of the suspended licences or registrations under the applicable food safety process. The FDA has not provided further details in the supplied report on the duration of the suspensions or the conditions for restoration.
