A severe food hygiene breach has come to light in Mumbai, where regulatory authorities have suspended the FSSAI license of a prominent 122-year-old cafe. The establishment has long enjoyed legendary status across the metropolis, frequently visited by prominent Bollywood actors, political figures, and celebrated artists. Despite its century-long operational legacy and esteemed clientele, an inspection by state authorities exposed egregious disregard for mandatory health and safety guidelines inside its food preparation sections.
Enforcement Action Under State Sanitation Drive
The punitive measure follows an active monitoring campaign conducted by the state FDA department, which has been reviewing standards across hotels and dining establishments to safeguard public well-being. During this regulatory drive, an inspection team carried out an on-site audit of the historic venue on a Monday. The conditions documented during the visit compelled regulators to immediately halt the cafe's legal authority to prepare or serve food.
Alarming Sanitation Deficits Inside Kitchen and Storage
Inspectors uncovered alarming hygienic deficiencies across spaces designated for food handling and raw ingredient storage. The team recorded the presence of cats wandering through preparation areas, rodent droppings scattered near supplies, active houseflies, and dead cockroaches. Furthermore, large accumulations of congealed blood were discovered pooled inside the refrigeration units, presenting severe risks of biological contamination.
Operational practices within the processing wing revealed additional safety violations. Officials located an open sewer manhole situated directly inside the food processing section. Prepared food items were left sitting directly on the untreated floor, while raw dough sat covered merely with sheets of newspaper rather than food-grade covers. Staff members handling consumer meals were observed failing to maintain even basic personal cleanliness.
Absence of Protective Gear and Immediate Legal Sanctions
In addition to basic sanitary lapses, workers inside the preparation facility were operating without required personal protective equipment (PPE). Evaluating these extensive food safety and hygiene failures as an imminent hazard to customer health, the regulatory authority acted under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Under this legal provision, authorities placed FSSAI license number 11517001000318 under immediate suspension.
The administrative directive strictly prohibits the heritage establishment from purchasing raw ingredients, manufacturing meals, processing consumables, holding inventory, selling dishes, or conducting deliveries. Specialized teams are currently monitoring the premises to verify total compliance with the shutdown directive. The incident has raised deep concerns among local diners who traditionally frequent heritage eateries under the assumption that historic reputations guarantee clean and safe food handling.
