Nine restaurants across Mumbai were closed as a result of an unexpected Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raid at upscale eateries earlier this month. They include Cou Cou By Oberoi, the French-style patisserie at BKC’s Jio World Drive, Banana Leaf in Matunga, New York Burrito in Kandivali West, and Hotel Highway Inn in Andheri East. Here’s all about the FDA raid at Mumbai restaurants.
FDA Raids Cou Cou & 8 Other Restaurants!
In most of the restaurants, a few infractions involving the non-updating of pest control documents, medical fitness certificates, and auditing records were noted, according to Shailesh Adhao, FDA joint commissioner (food), Hindustan Times reported. Further, he added that they identified severe lapses in a premium restaurant like Cou Cou By Oberoi, where one would expect that the management would abide by all food safety laws.
A stop work notice was given to Cou Cou because of serious violations of food safety standards, according to the team of food inspectors that visited the establishment on October 6. The officer claimed that the kitchen was in poor condition, the food was stale, the storage area was unclean, and the temperature for storing food was not maintained. They were shocked to see such a kitchen in a restaurant of their quality. On the same day, a stop-work notice was given.
Cou Cou by Oberoi said that they received a warning in error. The spokesman said that they were aware that this was intended for a different eatery. They quickly alerted the authorities to this, at which time they promptly withdrew the inaccurate notice and issued a new one. The authorities are now taking their response to this notice into consideration.
The joint commissioner claimed that on the first weekend in October, they were given instructions by Abhimanyu Kale, Maharashtra’s commissioner for food safety, to check the best restaurants, bars, and pubs in the suburbs of Mumbai. In the past two months, the FDA has visited nearly 152 restaurants, shut down 15 establishments, and racked up fines totalling ₹1,70,000.
Also Read: This Iconic Restaurant In Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty Closes Its Shutters After 50 Years
BMC Inspected Sweet Shops During Ganesh Chaturthi
According to The Indian Express report, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was preparing to audit sweet stores and mawa (milk solids) storage facilities during Ganesh Chaturthi in order to prevent incidences of gastroenteritis and food poisoning. They hinted that this specific inspection of sweets would continue through the end of December.
BMC’s Additional Municipal Commissioner of Health, Dr Sudhakar Shinde, stated that the organisation has instructed all medical health officers and sanitation inspectors to perform thorough inspections at all sweet stores. According to him, customers had previously consumed tainted sweets and experienced health issues. Many people even need to be hospitalised throughout the season because of digestive problems.
He also called attention to the 2017 First Amendment Regulations for Food Safety and Standards (Licencing and Registration). Due to concerns about the detrimental effects of frequent oil usage on the chemical, physical, nutritional, and sensory qualities of food, these regulations prohibit the excessive use of edible oil in the preparation of food.
On September 13, the renowned Bademiya restaurant in Mumbai was forced to close after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors discovered rats and cockroaches during a raid. Several complaints about hygiene led to the raid at the South Bombay branch.
Also Read: Bye Bye, Bogie Wogie: Mumbai’s First Restaurant On Wheels Is Shutting Down. Here’s Why!
According to reports, the FDA also discovered that the eatery was operating two locations—one each in Bandra and South Bombay—without the necessary permits.
Cover Image Courtesy: Cou Cou/ Facebook
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