The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday suspended the licence of the iconic Olympia Coffee House in Colaba after inspectors found a urinal inside the food storage area, an infestation of cockroaches and flies, and meat and blood residues inside the refrigerator, officials said.
The two Nagpur establishments that lost their licences for now are Superbaker, operating as EMRLD Coffee Shop, in Dharampeth, and Surahi Restaurant & Bar in Nandanvan. The action against Olympia, taken on a consumer complaint, came alongside the immediate suspension of the licence of the canteen at Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central too, over food safety violations. The hospital is run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and is one of the city’s largest public hospitals. Apart from the urinal in the food storage area, inspectors found unhygienic food preparation and utensil-washing facilities, food being handled directly on the floor, and the use of unclean water. Inspectors also flagged the use of damaged wooden chopping boards and the absence of appropriate protective clothing among food handlers. Mandatory water testing reports and essential sanitation records were not available at the premises too.
These two are among 14 food establishments across Maharashtra whose licences have been suspended, out of 27 inspected. Of the 35 food handlers at the establishment, 34 had not undergone the mandatory food safety training, the FDA said.
At Olympia Coffee House, the FDA, which has visibly upped its activities under chief Tukaram Mundhe, said its inspection recorded several serious food safety and hygiene violations. Raw vegetarian and non-vegetarian food was not properly segregated, the regulator said. In Pune and Western Maharashtra region, action was taken against Rangala Punjab, run by RP Hospitalities, in Pashan; Manisha Dosa Center in Karvenagar; Hotel New Nityanand and Ice Cream in Ambegaon; and Manas Family Restaurant in Wai, Satara, which the FDA said had ignored earlier improvement notices.
