The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended Café Mondegar’s food licence after an inspection at its Colaba outlet found temperature-control, storage, drainage and hygiene violations, as part of a wider festival-season crackdown on eateries and food sellers across Mumbai and Maharashtra.
The FDA inspected the restaurant at Metro House, Colaba, on September 12. Its findings included hot food being kept below the prescribed 60°C and cold storage being maintained above 5°C. Inspectors also flagged improper thawing of food and the failure to rapidly cool cooked items.
The inspection further identified damaged flooring caused by dampness, inadequate drainage near the food-preparation area and a potential cross-contamination risk. The agency also cited failures in cleaning and sanitising equipment. The violations were recorded under food-safety requirements in Schedule 4.
Café Mondegar was one of four Mumbai establishments whose licences were suspended following inspections conducted on September 11 and 12. The other establishments were Maharashtra Biryani Center in Kandivali East, Tribhuvan Dairy Farm in Ghatkopar West and Mahavir Cashew & Foods Pvt Ltd in Ghatkopar East.
The action formed part of a Greater Mumbai enforcement drive conducted between September 11 and 14. The FDA said it inspected 38 food establishments and collected 47 samples, including milk, khoya, ghee and sweets, for analysis. At Ayush Milk Supplier in Andheri East, officials seized 23 kg of sweet burfi valued at ₹6,440 after collecting samples. At Brijwasi Mithaiyan in Mulund West, 225 kg of khoya valued at ₹60,300 was seized for analysis.
The FDA said nine licences were suspended during the broader Mumbai inspection drive. Krishna Sweets and Snacks in Kanjurmarg East was fined ₹20,000 after deficiencies were found during inspection.
The agency also reported separate action against five establishments in Mumbai over prohibited food products on September 12. According to the FDA, prohibited stock worth ₹20.21 lakh was seized, one First Information Report was registered and nine people were arrested. Five vehicles allegedly used to transport the products were also seized; their combined value was put at ₹98 lakh.
The enforcement drive extended to other parts of Maharashtra. In the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, officials seized prohibited food products worth ₹2.74 lakh and a vehicle valued at ₹3 lakh on September 15. An FIR was registered and two people were arrested. In the Amravati division, prohibited stock worth ₹23,200 was seized, with one FIR registered and one arrest.
In Pune district, Deccan Cold Storages India Pvt Ltd in Bhor was inspected on September 15. The FDA said it found 4,891.9 kg of pasteurised cooking butter valued at ₹4.15 lakh and flagged alleged packaging and labelling violations. In Palghar, officials seized 878 litres of colostrum worth ₹1.05 lakh from a vehicle at Charoti toll plaza on September 16, citing missing labels, inadequate temperature control and unhygienic storage conditions.
The FDA said its statewide festival-season drive is targeting suspected adulteration, unhygienic storage, improper labelling and prohibited products. Samples collected during the inspections remain subject to analysis where testing was initiated.
