FDA suspends canteen licence at Mumbai's KEM Hospital over hygiene issues, halts operations

Mumbai, Jul 18 (PTI) The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licence of a canteen operating at Mumbai's KEM Hospital and ordered it to stop business after an inspection found unhygienic conditions and violations of food safety norms, officials said on Saturday. The action was taken against M/s Stany Caterers, which operates from the ground floor of the Old Nurses Home building at KEM Hospital in Parel, following an inspection carried out by the FDA's Zone 3 team on July 15. King Edward Memorial Hospital is a public medical college and hospital founded in 1926. The medical college is affiliated with Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS). Officials said the canteen's operations were stopped after food safety officers found unhygienic conditions and violations of provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) and related regulations. A stop business notice was issued by the Food Safety Officer, while the food business licence was suspended with immediate effect by the designated officer. During the inspection, officials collected four formal food samples for laboratory analysis. The samples comprised prepared rice, mixed pulses bhaji, kabuli chana used as a raw material, and refined sunflower oil. The crackdown against food businesses has been intensified since IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe took charge as Maharashtra FDA Commissioner in May. Inspections have been conducted at multiple hotels, restaurants and dhabas. The FDA had suspended the food business licence of Mumbai-based Parsi Dairy Farm after finding serious food safety and hygiene violations, officials said on Thursday. PTI ND NSK