Amid FDA crackdown, Maharashtra restaurants rush to food safety experts to fix kitchen gaps

Faced with the threat of immediate licence suspensions, hotels are hiring third-party auditing firms and food technologists to address compliance gaps in areas such as pest control, water quality testing, and mandatory staff training.

3 min readPuneAug 16, 2026 12:00 PM IST

FSSAI has trained over 300,000 street food vendors nationwide in hygiene, safe food handling, and waste management (Express photo/Special arrangement).

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent wave of licence suspensions across Pune, Mumbai, and other cities in Maharashtra has forced hotels and restaurants to re-examine their kitchen hygiene, processing standards, and legal compliance. Faced with temporary closures, many establishments are now turning to specialised food safety consultants and technologists to fix operational gaps and regain their operating licences.

When a Mumbai hotel received an FDA suspension notice detailing nearly 40 non-compliance points, it hired Pune-based food technology firm Foodkida to overhaul its food safety management system.

Akash Chakor, founder of Foodkida, noted a sharp rise in demand for technical support from hospitality businesses. “Our experts have helped numerous food business operators revoke licence suspensions and respond to official improvement notices,” Chakor said. “We guide operators through safety audits, staff training, and compliance workflows outlined by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).”

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The crackdown follows strict enforcement by FDA authorities. In the Pune division alone, officials issued over 60 suspension orders after inspection drives uncovered severe hygiene violations and failure to meet basic sanitation requirements.

Industry pushes for self-regulation

According to estimates by the Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers Association (PRAHA), which represents over 500 members, Pune hosts between 10,000 and 15,000 restaurants.

A senior PRAHA official welcomed the regulator’s enforcement actions and said, “The FDA action is necessary because establishments that fail to maintain basic hygiene in their kitchens must be held accountable. Over 60 affected operators have engaged food consultants to identify gaps and put corrective measures in place.”

Restaurant operators are seeking external assistance across key operational areas: comprehensive hygiene and sanitation audits; mandatory Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) for kitchen staff; routine food ingredient and water quality testing; commercial pest control documentation; employee medical fitness certification; and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for safe food handling.

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FSSAI expands training for street vendors

Alongside regulatory enforcement, FSSAI is ramping up preventive education under its FoSTaC and ‘Eat Right India’ initiatives.

The central regulator has trained over 300,000 street food vendors nationwide in hygiene, safe food handling, and waste management—including more than 10,000 vendors in Mumbai alone.

Pritee Chaudhary, reegional director at FSSAI (west region), said that training is essential to long-term compliance.

“While enforcement drives trigger immediate corrective steps, our broader goal is continuous staff training to build a culture of compliance,” Chaudhary said. “We have intensified hands-on workshops for retailers, food handlers, and street vendors to safeguard public health.”

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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