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‘Hold back names, photos’: Hospitality bodies push back against FDA crackdown
The hospitality bodies have also urged the FDA to refrain from sharing names, photographs, and videos of food business operators until the legal process concludes.
FDA suspends Tewari Bros. Mithaiwala’s FSSAI licence after complaint over stapler pin in kaju katli. (AI-generated image)
As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) crackdown to ensure food safety compliance across eateries in Maharashtra continues, hospitality trade associations have asked the food agency to follow due process before making enforcement actions public. It has also urged the FDA to refrain from sharing names, photographs, and videos of food business operators until the legal process concludes.
In a joint statement on Thursday, July 30, the Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India), the National Restaurant Association of India, and the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association on Thursday, July 30, extended support to the FDA but urged for a “balanced implementation process that protects both consumer interests and the principles of natural justice.”
The associations argued that under the Food Safety and Standards framework, food business operators are ordinarily given a chance to fix identified lapses before the FDA moves to stringent enforcement.
They also cautioned that publicising interim inspection findings before conclusion risks reputational damage to businesses built over decades, along with knock-on effects on livelihoods and consumer confidence.
The hospitalities bodies have demanded three things from the food agency: (a) to issue prior improvement notices under Section 32 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, before suspending or terminating licences; (b) refrain from publicly naming or condemning establishments before due process is complete, including holding back names, photographs and videos of food business operators from media and social media until legal process concludes; (c) and exercise restraint in public communication on ongoing enforcement actions, given that inspection findings are often subject to further compliance review.
The pushback against the FDA is not confined to the food businesses. Earlier, at least 27 officials from the food agency’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district office complained to FDA Minister Narhari Zirwal regarding Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe’s working style, citing long working hours and excessive workload.
Demanding adequate manpower, they have also alleged that recent changes in their working hours and shift duties were affecting their physical and mental well-being.
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A few days ago, iconic Udupi eatery Poornima Restaurant in Fort moved the Bombay High Court against FDA action. Earlier, the High Court revoked the food agency’s licence suspension order against Navi Mumbai’s Park Inn by Radisson after a re-inspection found 95 per cent compliance.
On Wednesday, the High Court also directed the FDA to inspect canteens located within its own premises and at the state government headquarters. The inspection resulted in stop-business notices for two of the court’s canteens, while a third received an improvement notice.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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