The Maharashtra Meals and Drug Administration has suspended the licence of Mumbai’s iconic Ok Rustom ice cream parlour close to Churchgate railway station for allegedly violating hygiene and meals security norms, together with storing expired synthetic flavouring brokers, officers stated.
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Throughout a shock inspection on the fashionable outlet, the FDA reported extreme sanitation lapses, together with the presence of reside rats and flies on the premises, stated the regulatory authority in an announcement on Wednesday (July 8, 2026).
“The licence [of Rustom ice cream parlour] has been suspended underneath the Meals Security and Requirements Act after critical hygiene deficiencies and regulatory violations had been detected throughout an inspection. The institution has additionally been directed to stay closed till the reviews of the meals samples are obtained,” in accordance with the FDA assertion.
The motion was taken on the instructions of FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe as a part of the division’s ‘Protected Meals, Protected Maharashtra’ marketing campaign geared toward guaranteeing residents have entry to protected and healthful meals. The drive has intensified inspections of eateries and meals institutions throughout Mumbai, it stated.
Throughout the inspection, FDA officers discovered massive portions of expired synthetic flavouring brokers and essences allegedly saved to be used within the preparation of ice cream, acknowledged the state-run company.
Officers stated the expired flavouring brokers, together with pistachio, pineapple, candy orange, cherry, almond, American ice cream soda, blended fruit, strawberry, blackcurrant, rum Jamaica, lemon and plum flavours, had been destroyed on the spot within the presence of the inspection crew to stop their additional use.
The FDA collected samples of ice cream for laboratory evaluation. In keeping with earlier reviews from an exterior laboratory, the ice cream was discovered to comprise solely 7.94 per cent milk fats in opposition to the minimal requirement of 10 per cent prescribed underneath the Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India (FSSAI) requirements, elevating questions over the standard of the product.
The inspection additional revealed the presence of reside rodents and flies within the store and storage areas, whereas officers additionally discovered that the obligatory chilly chain required for protected storage and dealing with of ice cream was not being maintained, stated the assertion.
The inspection was carried out by Meals Security Officers Tejaswini Patil and Akash Chavan underneath the supervision of Joint Commissioner (Meals) P R Singarwad and Assistant Commissioner (Meals) and Designated Officer for Division I, Anupama Patil.
Printed – July 09, 2026 11:24 am IST
