The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended the food licence of Colaba’s Olympia Coffee House after an inspection found multiple alleged violations of food safety and hygiene requirements, including problems in its storage and kitchen areas. The action followed a customer complaint and was part of a wider inspection drive across the state.
According to the FDA report cited by Navbharat Times, inspectors found a urinal in the food storage area, along with cockroaches and flies. Meat and blood residue were reportedly found inside a refrigerator, while raw vegetarian and non-vegetarian food was not being stored separately. The inspection also recorded inadequate cleanliness in cooking and utensil-washing areas.
The FDA further reported that food was kept directly on the floor and that contaminated water was being used. Inspectors also noted poorly maintained wooden chopping boards and said food-handling workers were not wearing the required protective clothing. These findings formed the basis for the suspension of the establishment’s licence, according to the report.
The inspection also identified a training gap among the staff. Of the 35 employees working at Olympia Coffee House, 34 had reportedly not completed mandatory food safety training. The establishment did not have the required water-testing report or mandatory hygiene-related records available for inspection, the FDA said.
The action is significant because Olympia is a well-known food outlet in one of Mumbai’s busiest and most visited areas. The case also shows how food safety enforcement depends not only on routine inspections but on complaints from customers, inspection records, staff training and documentation maintained by establishments.
The FDA said it inspected 27 food establishments across Maharashtra during the campaign and suspended the licences of 14 of them. The action included the canteen at Mumbai Central’s Nair Hospital, which is operated under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and serves patients, visitors and hospital staff. The FDA cited violations of food safety standards as the basis for suspending the canteen’s licence with immediate effect.
Other establishments named in the action include a Blinkit store in Chembur, Vishwas Sweets and Snacks and A-1 General and Dry Fruits in Ghatkopar, and Milan Punjab in Worli. Sadguru Sweets in Malad East and P4B Technologies Service Private Limited in Kharghar, Raigad, were also included. The list reportedly covers four restaurants in Pune district and two in Nagpur.
The enforcement drive is being conducted under the leadership of Maharashtra FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe. The reported violations point to several operational controls that food businesses are required to maintain, including separation of raw food, safe water testing, hygienic storage, employee training and verifiable sanitation records. The next step for the affected establishments will depend on the FDA’s regulatory process and compliance requirements following the licence suspensions.
