The infamous cafe, adoring the lane of Colaba Causeway, came under scrutiny earlier this week as the Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration takes on another crackdown. On Tuesday, it suspended the licenses of the cafe and three other establishments in the city after inspections found serious food and safety violations.
Food Violations At Cafe Mondegar
The authorities suspected that the outlet of Cafe Mondegar at Metro House in Colaba was ridden with serious deficiencies. There were safety and hygiene lapses, including an inability to keep the hot food above 60 degree celcious and cold beverages under 5 degrees Celsius, mentioned the regulator in the release. Officials also found that there was improper thawing of food, inadequate cooling of prepared food along with sanitisation and structural deficiences at the restaurant. All of this and more posed a risk of cross-contamination.
Food was also kept next to urinals wherein there is higher risk of bacteria.
The food authority also suspended the licences of Maharashtra Biryani Centre in Kandivali East, Tribhuvan Dairy Farm in Ghatkopar West and Mahavir Cashew & Foods Pvt. Ltd in Ghatkopar East. This was a result of violations of Schedule 4 of the food Safety and Standards Act found during inspections. The Schedule 4 of the act mentions all the hygiene and sanitation rules that should be followed by all food businesses operators.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe
This crackdown has come as a blow but in lines with what FDA’s new commissioner has been on a mission to do. Tukaram Mundhe, who is now popularly called the ‘Singham IAS’ or Maharashtra’s ‘Singham’ due to his fierce, strict, and uncompromising approach to rule-of-law enforcement and anti-corruption. Under his guidance, the state agency has been on a roll of surprise inspections and license cancellations.
FDA said it also took action against 9 food establishments in Mumbai for deficiencies found during inspections conducted as part of its festival season drive. These establishments include Ruhafza Bakery in Khar West; Chandru’s Pure Ghee Sweets and Sharma Dairy & Fast Food in Andheri West; Punjabi Chandu Halwai LLP at Grant Road East; Shri Narayan Dairy in Vile Parle West; and Gulshan Dairy Farm in Khar West.
Mumbai’s iconic Cafe Mondegar is a 94-year-old eatery that is well-known as a landmark for its old-world charm and Mario Miranda murals. The suspension came as a part of FDA’s Ganeshotsav food safety drive where officials collected 47 food samples and suspended the licenses of 9 establishments for violations.
This latest action has put a lot of questions in the minds of Mumbaikars as well since it is no longer about roadside stalls and street vendors that seem to be messing up. It is now well-known eateries and posh clubs that are coming under high scrutiny. This makes one doubt and wonder how much does the general public actually ever get to know about the food that is being served.