Ahead of Diwali, FDA suspends licences of 9 Mumbai food outlets; Pune division cancels 15 methanol licences, suspends 28

With Diwali shopping in full swing, the state's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving on two fronts. In Mumbai, nine food establishments had their licences suspended with immediate effect for breaching hygiene and food-safety rules. In Pune, checks that began after this year's spurious liquor deaths have led to 15 methanol-related companies losing their licences and 28 more being suspended.

At a glance

• Statewide inspections: 21 and 22 October 2026; FDA statement issued on Thursday, 22 October
• Licences suspended: 11 establishments (Mumbai 9; Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division 2)
• Food stock seized: 37,991.4 kg in all, valued at about ₹54.66 lakh
• Pune division (methanol): all 102 licensed firms inspected; 15 licences cancelled, 28 suspended
• Law applied: the Food Safety and Standards Act for eateries; the Poisons Act and Maharashtra Poisons Rules for methanol

Mumbai: where, and what went wrong

According to the FDA statement, inspectors at hotels, restaurants, bakeries and canteens found serious lapses: dirty kitchens and drains, rusted racks and utensils, returned stale bread being mixed into fresh stock, temperature logs left incomplete, food handlers without medical certificates and, in some places, colours in sweets that are not permitted.

The FDA put the Mumbai figure at nine, but the list made public names eight establishments and their locations:

• S K Bakery (Mazgaon)
• Nekzad Restaurant (Grant Road)
• Foodies Multi Cuisine (Bandra West)
• Arabian Luqma (Jogeshwari West)
• Zidz Food and Hospitality / Delhi Zaiak (Kurla West)
• Lite Bite Foods Pvt Ltd (You Mee), R City Mall (Ghatkopar West)
• Bikkgane Biryani LLP (Govandi)
• Jubilant Foodworks Ltd (Domino's Pizza) (Bhandup West)

The other two suspensions, both in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, are K K Bakers of Rahmat Nagar, Parbhani, and a Domino's Pizza outlet in Beed. The statement does not say how long the suspensions will last.

What was seized elsewhere in the state

• Konkan division: 33,286 kg of rajma and pulses (about ₹50.05 lakh) from RDC Agro Ventures Pvt Ltd at Nerul, Navi Mumbai, which officials suspect is substandard and mislabelled
• Nashik division: 483.4 kg of soybean oil, butter, ghee, yellow sev and papdi (about ₹1.70 lakh) from units in Sinnar and Nashik; one unit had no laboratory, technical person or analysis reports
• Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division: 4,222 kg of jaggery and fennel (about ₹2.91 lakh) from Aurangabad Cold Storage LLP, Jadhavwadi

In September, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe announced a single standing order covering every festival of the year, with Diwali in the highest-risk group. He said demand for sweets, paneer, ghee and dry fruit jumps during festivals, and so does the risk of adulteration.

Pune: methanol licences after the hooch deaths

Two separate tracks are at work here. The criminal investigation into the toxic liquor and the deaths lies with the police and now with the state CID. Methanol is a notified poison under the Maharashtra Poisons Rules, so its licensing falls to the FDA, and the latest action concerns those licences.

• Between 26 and 28 May 2026, people died after drinking illicit country liquor in the Dapodi and Hadapsar police station areas. The latest reports put the toll at 19; counts published in the days after the incident varied from outlet to outlet.
• The Director General of Police handed both main cases, registered on 29 May, to the CID. They were filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and prohibition law, and several accused have been arrested.
• In June, the FDA cancelled the licence of a Bhiwandi methanol supplier, and the firm's owners were booked under the Poisons Act at Narpoli police station.
• Pune division has more methanol firms than any other part of the state. Over four months, all 102 licensed firms were inspected; 15 licences have now been cancelled outright and 28 suspended.
• Cancelling a licence and suspending one are distinct administrative steps. According to Girish Hukare, the FDA's assistant commissioner for Pune division, the focus is strict enforcement of existing rules rather than new ones, and the firms will stay under regular watch.

We could not find an official update on whether the CID has filed a chargesheet.

Buying Diwali sweets and khoa: what to check

• Loose sweets: since 1 October 2020, FSSAI has required a 'best before' date on the tray or container holding loose sweets at the counter. A manufacturing date is optional. If the tray has no date, ask the shopkeeper.
• Licensed shop: since 1 October 2021, every food business must print its 14-digit FSSAI licence or registration number on bills. Ask for a bill; a missing number points to non-compliance or no registration.
• Verify: the number on the bill can be checked against FSSAI records through its online portal or its Food Safety Connect app.
• Packaged items: check the packing, the label, and the manufacturing and expiry dates before you buy.
• If something seems off: keep the bill and report it through one of the channels below.

Where to complain

• Maharashtra FDA toll-free number: 1800 222 365
• Email: jc-foodhq@gov.in
• FDA online complaint portal: complaints.mahafda.in (you can speak your complaint in Marathi, Hindi or English and track its status)
• FSSAI 24x7 helpline: 1800112100; also the Food Safety Connect mobile app

Sources: Prahaar (FDA's statewide action, 22 October); News24 (list of 11 establishments and seizures, 22 October); Asianet Newsable (violations found, 22 October); Mahaenews (advice to consumers, 22 October); Tarun Bharat (Pune division methanol action, 22 October); Punekar News (15 cancelled, 28 suspended, 22 October); Punekar News (CID probe and cases, 2 June); Free Press Journal (Bhiwandi firm's licence cancelled, 6 June); The News Mill / ANI (standing order for festivals, September); Agro & Food Processing ('best before' date on loose sweets); FoodTechBiz (FSSAI number on bills); Navbharat Live (FDA toll-free number and email); Pune Pulse (FDA complaint portal); FSSAI (helpdesk)