Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 29: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licence of 13 food establishments in Mumbai, including the 122-year-old Irani eatery Kyani & Co, following inspections that found food safety and hygiene violations.

The action was part of a festive-season enforcement drive conducted across Maharashtra from September 23 to 27. A total of 30 food licences were suspended across the state, including 13 in Mumbai, six in the Konkan division, eight in the Pune division and three in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division.

According to the FDA, officials inspected Kyani & Co at Dhobi Talao on Sunday and found cats, rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in the food preparation and storage areas.

Inspectors also found a large quantity of blood collected inside a refrigerator and an open sewage manhole in the food processing section, the FDA said.

The licence of upscale Cantonese restaurant Royal China and a Subway outlet at Phoenix Mills were among those suspended during the Mumbai crackdown.

The latest action is part of the Maharashtra FDA's continuing enforcement drive targeting food safety and hygiene violations at restaurants and other food establishments across the state.