Mumbai FDA Cracks Down: Cockroaches & Rodent Droppings Halt IRCTC, ISKCON Food!

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken decisive action in Mumbai, suspending the food licenses of a major IRCTC-linked base kitchen and three establishments operating at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Juhu. This move comes after shocking inspections revealed severe hygiene and food-safety violations, including the presence of live cockroaches and rodent droppings. At R.K.

Associates & Hoteliers Pvt. Ltd. in Kurla West, a base kitchen supplying food to railway passengers under IRCTC, inspectors uncovered a disturbing scene. Live cockroaches were found in food storage and processing areas, along with uncovered food being prepared perilously close to open garbage.

Further red flags included an employee handling food with an injured finger, and only 21 out of 34 food handlers possessing valid medical fitness certificates. The kitchen's utensils and food-contact equipment were reportedly unclean and rusted, while vehicles used for food transport were also in poor condition.

Following its inspection on September 2, 2026, the establishment was classified as “non-compliant” and ordered to immediately cease all food preparation, supply, and sales. In a separate enforcement action on September 3, the FDA suspended the licenses of three food establishments at ISKCON in Juhu.

At the ISKCON Food Services Restaurant, inspectors found rodent droppings in storage rooms and drains clogged with food waste.

The FDA also highlighted inadequate segregation of raw and cooked food, as well as vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, raising significant concerns about potential cross-contamination. These suspensions are part of a broader, state-wide crackdown on food establishments violating hygiene and safety laws, initiated after IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe took over as the FDA Commissioner in May.

Mundhe has emphasized that public health is paramount, stating, "Popularity was never my goal; what matters is public health." In addition to the suspensions, four other establishments supplying food to railway passengers in Mumbai and Thane were issued improvement notices during the recent FDA inspections, signaling a continued focus on stringent oversight across the food industry.

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