Maharashtra’s food safety crackdown: How Tukaram Mundhe’s raids are changing restaurant kitchens

What began as a series of surprise inspections and licence suspensions is now visibly changing the way restaurants, hotels, bakeries, clubs and food businesses operate — with establishments stepping up kitchen cleaning, pest-control measures and food-safety compliance amid fears of unannounced FDA inspections.

At the centre of the campaign is Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, a 2005-batch IAS officer known for his strict administrative style.

Since taking charge as FDA Commissioner in May, the department has intensified inspections across Maharashtra. According to figures reported from the FDA, the campaign has crossed 1,100 inspections, with 1,131 inspections reported in the latest cumulative figures. Food products worth around Rs 49.57 crore have been seized and the licences of 56 restaurants suspended.

The campaign has targeted not only roadside eateries and small food businesses, but also prominent restaurants, clubs, institutional canteens, food manufacturers, dairies, warehouses, and quick-commerce facilities.

The latest action: 12 more hotels and restaurants face licence suspension

The crackdown continued into 11 August, with reports that the FDA has suspended the licences of 12 hotels and restaurants in Pune and Sangli following inspections.

The latest action comes ahead of the festive season and forms part of the department's continuing drive to identify food-safety and hygiene violations.

The latest round adds to a growing list of establishments across Maharashtra facing regulatory action over alleged violations ranging from unhygienic kitchens and pest infestation to improper food storage, licensing deficiencies and non-compliance with food-safety requirements.

Mumbai: From iconic eateries to quick-commerce warehouses

Mumbai has been one of the main centres of the crackdown.

The FDA has inspected and taken action against restaurants, bakeries, clubs, canteens and food businesses across the city.

During a three-day drive between 4 and 6 August, officials conducted 31 raids and inspected 63 hotels, restaurants and dhabas.

The operation resulted in 38 improvement notices and seven licence suspensions. The FDA also registered 19 FIRs, arrested 22 people and seized banned gutkha and pan masala worth Rs 20.29 lakh.

Other food products worth around Rs 2.63 crore, weighing nearly four lakh kilograms, were also seized.

Among the Mumbai establishments facing action were Eat Nino in Dadar, Jai Maa Kali Dhaba in Andheri, A J Hospitality's House of Maharashtra in Santacruz and South India Dosa Corner in Kurla.

Officials reported problems including pest infestation, poor waste disposal, inadequate personal hygiene, food being stored improperly, rusted equipment and missing mandatory records.

In Navi Mumbai, Punjab Grill also faced action following an inspection in which officials reportedly found cockroach infestation, stagnant water and other hygiene deficiencies.

Blinkit facility in Malad suspended

The FDA's reach has now extended into the quick-commerce supply chain.

Between 6 and 9 August, officials carried out inspections of establishments involved in manufacturing, storing and distributing food.

A Blinkit Commerce facility in Malad West had its food licence suspended following an inspection on 7 August.

Officials reportedly found cockroach infestation, food stored directly on the floor, rusted racks, poorly maintained cold-storage areas and expired, damaged or tampered packaging.

The inspection also flagged deficiencies relating to pest control, waste management, food-handler hygiene and documentation.

The facility was directed to stop food-related operations until further orders.

The action is significant because it takes the crackdown beyond restaurants and into the increasingly important last-mile food supply chain.

IIT Bombay messes also inspected

The FDA has also moved into institutional food facilities.

Two mess facilities at IIT Bombay were ordered to cease operations after officials found that they were functioning without the required food licences or registrations.

Another catering facility serving multiple hostel messes was issued an improvement notice.

The action underlined the FDA's stated approach that food-safety regulations should apply regardless of whether an establishment is private, institutional or government-linked.

Even the Bombay High Court canteens came under the scanner

The crackdown took another unusual turn after the Bombay High Court questioned whether food-safety rules were being applied uniformly.

FDA officials subsequently inspected three canteens operating inside the High Court premises.

Two were reportedly found operating without the required FSSAI licences and were ordered to stop operations, while another licensed canteen received an improvement notice.

The inspections came amid judicial scrutiny of the FDA's enforcement methods.

The Bombay High Court has also questioned the immediate suspension of some food licences, emphasising the need for a proportionate and legally sustainable approach.

But what is happening inside restaurant kitchens?

Perhaps the most visible impact of the crackdown is not another seizure or suspension.

It is the deep cleaning happening inside restaurants.

Restaurant and club kitchens across Mumbai are reportedly stepping up cleaning and maintenance, with establishments hiring pest-control contractors, steam-cleaning kitchens, scrubbing accumulated grease and dirt and reorganising food storage.

Industry observers have described this as the “Mundhe effect” — where the possibility of an unexpected FDA inspection is itself pushing businesses to improve hygiene standards.

From newspapers to butter paper

There are also signs of the crackdown becoming visible to customers.

Some restaurants and food outlets are reportedly replacing newspapers and other unsuitable materials used for wrapping or serving food with food-grade alternatives.

Consumers have also noticed changes in food preparation and presentation, including reduced use of intense artificial colouring in some dishes.

Edible oil manufacturers and repackers

In Beed, FDA teams reportedly seized more than 1.19 lakh kilograms of edible oil between 6 and 9 August.

One unit alone had more than 66,000 kg of oil seized, while another had nearly 46,000 kg seized.

Officials cited alleged labelling, packaging and hygiene violations.

Paneer and dairy products

The FDA has intensified checks on paneer and dairy products, including action against suspected analogue or non-dairy products.

Maharashtra has also imposed a one-year ban on analogue/non-dairy paneer, prohibiting its manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation and sale.

Packaged drinking water

In Jalgaon, officials reportedly seized more than 87,000 litres of packaged drinking water.

Bakery products

In Nagpur, nearly 9,827 kg of rusk was seized over alleged labelling violations.

Curd and cheese analogue

Officials in Nagpur also destroyed thousands of kilograms of curd and cheese analogue following enforcement action.

The message is increasingly moving from the restaurant kitchen to the entire food supply chain.

A major gutkha and pan masala crackdown

The FDA has simultaneously intensified action against banned gutkha and pan masala.

The 4–6 August operation resulted in 19 FIRs and 22 arrests, with banned products worth more than Rs 20 lakh seized. Six premises were reportedly sealed and four vehicles valued at around Rs 13.15 lakh were seized.

The operation covered several regions including Mumbai, Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur.

Shirdi: adulterated prasad also targeted

The crackdown has reached religious food markets as well. In Shirdi, FDA officials seized and destroyed around 700 kg of suspected adulterated or sub-standard peda after testing indicated that samples did not meet prescribed quality standards. Officials subsequently inspected prasad-selling outlets and supply units in the area and initiated legal action.

The legal challenge

The aggressive enforcement campaign has also triggered legal scrutiny. The Bombay High Court has stayed or reversed some FDA licence suspensions, including cases involving restaurants, dairies, milk vendors and a hotel.

The courts have questioned whether immediate closure is proportionate in every case and have urged authorities to ensure that enforcement follows due process.

Who is Tukaram Mundhe?

Tukaram Mundhe is a 2005-batch Maharashtra-cadre IAS officer. He has been transferred repeatedly during his administrative career, with reports putting the number at around 25 transfers in two decades. His reputation for strict enforcement has now made him one of the most recognisable faces of Maharashtra's food-safety administration.

Since taking charge of the FDA, his approach has been based heavily on surprise inspections and visible enforcement. The latest campaign has also generated significant public attention, with Mundhe receiving a standing ovation during a public event in Pune on 10 August.