Restaurants, canteens, popular eateries, food brands and milk vendors across Mumbai are being inspected and, in several cases, shut down as the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) presses ahead with a state-wide crackdown on food safety violations. The drive is being led by who took charge as FDA Commissioner on May 25, 2026. In his first three months in the post, Tukaram Mundhe has launched statewide food safety campaigns, carried out inspections at well-known restaurants, eateries, food distributors and manufacturers, and ordered the closure of establishments found violating FDA norms.
Mundhe has built a reputation over a 21-year career for a strict, no-compromise approach to his work. That approach has repeatedly put him at odds with political and administrative structures, resulting in 24 transfers over the course of his service. Bombay High Court has pushed back on this approach, raising objections to the manner in which the raids are being conducted. The court directed the FDA to first issue show-cause notices to restaurants and manufacturers, giving them an opportunity to correct violations, and to seal establishments only if the violations continued.
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The court also ruled that the FDA cannot restrict its inspections to private hotels and restaurants alone. It directed the agency to inspect government and semi-government dining establishments as well, including the state secretariat, the High Court premises, and canteens at Mantralaya, and to submit inspection reports along with video footage.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad questioned whether inspections were being carried out selectively, drawing a distinction between how public and private institutions were being treated.
In response, the FDA inspected canteens on the Bombay High Court premises. One canteen was found operating without the required Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) license and had its operations suspended. Two other canteens, which held valid licenses, were issued improvement notices.
Separately, in compliance with the High Court’s directive to cover government establishments, an FDA team visited the Mantralaya canteen for a similar inspection. Four lawyers accompanied the officials during the visit, apparently to ensure the process met the court’s requirements for transparency and documentation. The team examined the kitchen area, drinking water arrangements, food quality, cleanliness and overall hygiene standards at the canteen, which serves state government staff and officials on a daily basis.
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Mundhe has also ordered a ban on the sale of unhealthy food items, including chips, chocolates and cold beverages, on school and college campuses, citing widespread non-compliance with a central regulation issued in 2020. The order invokes Section 30(1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, to enforce the FSSAI’s Safe Food and Balanced Diets for Children in School Regulations, 2020, which came into effect in July 2021.
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The FDA has also stepped up inspections of mid-day meal suppliers over concerns about food safety and quality. Mundhe said on Wednesday that one supplier’s license has already been suspended following the review. The department has also begun strengthening compliance requirements for blood banks across the state. 
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