Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Maharashtra FDA Suspends Four Food Licences Amid Statewide Safety Drive
Maharashtra’s food-safety agency inspected restaurants and other food businesses.
It said Ayub’s restaurant in Mumbai had several serious hygiene problems.
These included flies, open drains, standing water, and eggs kept without proper cooling.
Inspectors also said raw and cooked foods were not properly separated.
Ayub’s licence was suspended from August 23.
Three other establishments also lost their licences.
Many more businesses were told to fix problems.
The agency also seized food products and warned that businesses breaking safety rules could face legal action.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration suspended Ayub’s licence after an August 22 inspection found serious hygiene and food-safety violations.
Inspectors reported houseflies, open drains, stagnant water, inadequate pest control, room-temperature egg storage, and poor separation of raw and cooked food.
Licences at three other establishments were suspended, while 31 businesses received improvement notices after 37 inspections across Maharashtra.
The FDA seized 60,709.8 kilograms of food products worth Rs 2,24,61,888, including roasted arecanut and suspected adulterated soybean oil.
A separate report said Mumbai’s Cafe Cadell also had its FSSAI licence suspended over alleged hygiene and cross-contamination concerns.
- Who
- The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, Ayub’s, three other establishments, 31 businesses receiving notices, and, in a separate report, Cafe Cadell.
- What
- The FDA suspended four food-business licences, issued 31 improvement notices, and seized food products during inspections.
- When
- Ayub’s was inspected on August 22 and its suspension took effect on August 23. The Kurla canteen report dates its inspection to August 21, 2026; the reports describe the wider enforcement action as occurring on Tuesday.
- Where
- The inspections covered Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, and a separate seizure in Jalgaon. Ayub’s is in Mumbai’s Fort area.
- Why
- The FDA cited hygiene, food-safety, storage, pest-control, recordkeeping, and possible adulteration violations.
Regulatory Findings
Establishment Position
Need for licence suspension
Regulatory Findings
The FDA said the reported conditions showed serious and widespread weaknesses in food-safety systems and could increase the risks of microbial contamination, cross-contamination, and food-borne illness.
Establishment Position
The articles do not provide statements from Ayub’s, Cafe Cadell, or the other establishments responding to the suspensions or disputing the findings.
Scope of enforcement
Regulatory Findings
The FDA described the actions as administrative licence suspensions following regular inspections, alongside improvement notices and seizures under food-safety law.
Establishment Position
The reports provide no direct response from the affected businesses about the enforcement process or the alleged violations.
- Ayub’s location
- Fort area, Mumbai
- Ayub’s inspection
- August 22
- Ayub’s suspension
- Effective August 23 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
- Statewide inspections
- 37 hotels, restaurants, and eateries
- Licence suspensions
- Ayub’s; Sankalp Mahila Audyogik Utpadak Sahakari Sanstha Ltd’s Kurla canteen; Burhampur Jalebi Centre; and Step In Restaurant
- Improvement notices
- 31 establishments
- Seized products
- 60,709.8 kilograms valued at Rs 2,24,61,888
- Additional reported action
- Cafe Cadell’s FSSAI licence was separately reported as suspended over hygiene and cross-contamination concerns
Sources
Ayub's among four Mumbai eateries to lose food licences in Maharashtra FDA crackdown - Telegraph India
Mumbai Restaurant Ayub’s Food Licence Suspended After FDA Flags Houseflies, Open Drains & Improper Egg Storage - VIDEO