‘Stale food, cockroaches’: Pune suspends licences of more hotels, food outlets

The Food and Drug Administration in Pune has suspended the licenses of several hotels and food outlets due to severe violations of food safety and hygiene standards. Baba's Kitchen in Mulshi, Ambrosios, Shrinath Food Corner in Hinjewadi, and Sapphire Foods (KFC) in Bavdhan were among the establishments affected, according to D V Bhogawade, Joint Commissioner of the FDA.

At Baba's Kitchen, food coloring was discovered in food items, while large amounts of stale food were identified. Ambrosios was found to have poor hygiene and cockroaches present. Sapphire Foods (KFC) was operating without the necessary approvals under the FSSAI licence, with a malfunctioning cold-storage unit causing water leaks and ice accumulation, posing a contamination risk.

Food boxes were improperly stored on the floor and against walls, and essential inspection, audit, and employee-training records were missing. The FDA's action was part of a broader initiative to enforce food safety regulations, conducted across Pune division, which includes Pune, Satara, Solapur, Sangli, and Kolhapur, from August 17-20 as part of the Safe Food, Safe Drug, Safe Maharashtra campaign.