The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the license of M/s Parle Agro following the discovery of expired beverages, including Frooti, Appy, and Apple Fizz, at a warehouse in Chembur. During the inspection, stocks valued at ₹99,970 were confiscated from the Velocity Express Warehouse located near Chembur Naka.
The action comes as a part of the agency’s wider statewide campaign against restaurants, hotels, dhabas, bakeries, online food platforms and other food businesses under its commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. It had, a few days ago, also found dirty cooking utensils, significant fly infestation, wastewater and food residue in the kitchen at Bollywood Cafe in Film City, Goregaon East. The FDA, during its special inspection drive targeting quick-commerce food delivery outlets across Mumbai , found several hygiene lapses. These included cockroaches crawling through food storage areas, expired chicken lying in refrigerators, rotten vegetables, rodent droppings and food packets kept directly on dirty floors.
Mundhe took over as the Maharashtra FDA chief in May, 2025. The FDA, as of August 13, had inspected 109 hotels, restaurants and dhabas, issuing 49 improvement notices and suspended four food-business licences.
Earlier reporting noted: Maharashtra FDA suspends licences of multiple facilities linked to Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart over food safety violations The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the licences of muiltiple food business establishments linked to online platforms including Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart after a state-wide inspection drive found multiple food safety and hygiene violations, officials said on Friday. The officials found cockroaches moving through the storage area, along with rodent and pest droppings near food packets, at an Instamart facility on the first floor of Gitaneel Arcade on Hill Road, Bandra. Dust, cobwebs and food waste were also found across the warehouse, with the facility also lacking adequate pest-proofing. It had an ant infestation, rusted racks, chipped flooring and poor housekeeping.
Earlier this week on Friday, the agency suspended the licences of 10 food delivery chains, including Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart. The action followed inspections of 86 outlets on Thursday. Of these, 60 were served improvement notices, 14 had their licences suspended, while one outlet was ordered to stop business operations immediately. Earlier reporting noted: The FDA inspected 86 establishments across Maharashtra on August 13 that sell and deliver food through online platforms. It issued 60 improvement notices and ordered the temporary stoppage of operations at one facility.
No licence was cancelled during the drive, the state regulator said, according to a PTI report.
Earlier reporting noted: The FDA also suspended multiple food business licences with immediate effect, including five each linked to Blinkit and Zepto, and two linked to Instamart.
