Mumbai's famous Poornima Restaurant and five of the city's well-known clubs have lost their FSSAI food licences after Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found serious food safety and hygiene violations during inspections carried out between July 24 and 27.
The action is part of the FDA's ongoing crackdown on food establishments across Maharashtra under newly appointed Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe.
Poornima Restaurant's Licence Suspended
Poornima Restaurant, the iconic Udupi eatery in Mumbai's Fort area that has been serving customers for nearly six decades, is among the latest establishments to face action. According to the Maharashtra FDA, inspectors found fungal growth on drumsticks used for sambar and on bananas used to make the restaurant's signature banana vada. Officials said fungal contamination inside a kitchen can pose a serious health risk.
In an Instagram post, FSSAI confirmed that the Maharashtra FDA had suspended Poornima Restaurant's licence after an inspection revealed serious food safety and hygiene violations.
The inspection also uncovered several other violations. Raw and uncooked ingredients were stored alongside cooked and frozen food. Flies were found inside the premises. Drains were dirty and stagnant water had collected in food preparation areas. The kitchen also had unhygienic walls, flaking paint and rust.
Inspectors found refrigerator doors that did not shut properly, pickles stored in non-food-grade plastic barrels, and missing medical fitness records and periodic health check-up documents for food handlers.
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Five Prominent Mumbai Clubs Also Face Action
The Maharashtra FDA also suspended the food business licences of five prominent clubs:
- Cricket Club of India (CCI)
- Willingdon Sports Club
- MIG Cricket Club
- RK Juhu Gymkhana
- Aparna Juhu Gymkhana
The inspections found multiple violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act.
At CCI, inspectors found no separate areas for preparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, which increased the risk of cross-contamination. The kitchen also had cockroaches and flies near food handling and waste disposal areas.
Officials reported water dripping onto stored food inside cold storage, clogged drains, unhygienic cutting boards, rotten vegetables, overripe mushrooms and expired food items. Utensils were kept directly on the floor, while grease, sludge and stagnant water had built up around food preparation areas. The kitchen also lacked colour-coded chopping boards, another factor that increases the risk of contamination.
At MIG Cricket Club in Bandra East, inspectors found that an unauthorised catering agency without a valid FSSAI licence was operating from the premises. The kitchen had live cockroaches and cobwebs.
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Officials also reported improper handling and storage of raw, cooked, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, failure to carry out periodic food and water testing, unauthorised structural and management changes without informing licensing authorities, and the absence of qualified technical personnel and mandatory health records for food handlers.
The licences of RK Juhu Gymkhana, Aparna Juhu Gymkhana and Willingdon Sports Club were also suspended for various food safety and hygiene violations.
The licence suspensions are not permanent. The affected establishments can resume operations only after they fix all the violations and the Maharashtra FDA verifies that they fully comply with food safety and hygiene standards.
This is the latest in a series of actions by the Maharashtra FDA over the past two months.