Mumbai, The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business licences of the Cricket Club of India (CCI), MIG Cricket Club in Bandra East, and three other clubs in the city for alleged violations of food safety and hygiene norms, officials said on Tuesday.
The CCI’s kitchen lacked segregation between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food preparation areas, and FDA inspectors also found a large number of cockroaches and flies near food handling and waste disposal areas, said an official statement.
The FDA under its newly appointed commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has taken action against several famous eateries and food establishments in the city and elsewhere in the state over the last two months.
At the CCI, water was found dripping on stored food inside cold storage, drains were clogged, cutting boards were unhygienic, rotten vegetables, overripe mushrooms and expired food items were stored, and FIFO/FEFO (‘First In, First Out’ and ‘First Expired, First Out’)
practices and proper food labelling were not followed, it said.
Utensils were placed directly on the floor, and grease, sludge and stagnant water was found accumulated around food preparation areas, the statement further claimed.
It also cited the absence of colour-coded chopping boards which increases the risk of cross-contamination. These violations warranted immediate suspension of the club’s food licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act and related regulations, the authority said.
The food licence of MIG Cricket Club was suspended as an unauthorised catering agency without a valid FSSAI licence was operating from the premises, the FDA said.
The inspection at MIG Cricket Club also found live cockroaches and cobwebs in the kitchen, it said.
Other violations included improper handling and storage of raw, cooked, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, failure to conduct periodic food and water testing, unauthorised structural and management changes without informing the licensing authority, and the absence of qualified technical personnel and mandatory health records of food handlers, the FDA said.
Food licenses of RK Juhu Gymkhana, The Aparna Juhu Gymkhana and The Willindon Sports Club were also suspended for various violations, the release said. PTI
