Cockroaches, rats and expired chicken found as Maharashtra FDA inspects 195 food establishments, suspends 18 licences
Babushahi Bureau
Mumbai (Maharashtra), August 16, 2026 Cockroaches crawling through food-storage areas, rodent droppings, expired food and serious hygiene lapses have been uncovered during an intensified food-safety crackdown in Maharashtra, prompting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to suspend licences of 18 food establishments and issue dozens of improvement notices.
The enforcement drive has put restaurants, hotels, quick-commerce warehouses and online food-delivery facilities under increased scrutiny, with authorities checking food storage, pest control, temperature management, sanitation, staff hygiene and mandatory safety records.
The latest action comes amid growing concern over hygiene standards at facilities that store and deliver food directly to consumers. The FDA's special statewide drive on August 13 covered 86 establishments involved in selling, storing and delivering food through online platforms. Officials issued 60 improvement notices, suspended 14 food-business licences and ordered one establishment to immediately stop operations.
Cockroaches, rodent droppings and poor storage
Inspections at quick-commerce facilities uncovered several lapses that could pose food-safety risks. FDA findings included cockroach infestations, rodent droppings, dirty and rusted storage racks, inadequate pest control, poor housekeeping and improper food storage.
At some facilities, food and non-food items were not adequately segregated, while officials also found deficiencies in records relating to food-handler training, medical examinations and safety audits. Reuters reported that FDA inspection material showed cockroaches around food items, rotten vegetables and rodent droppings at some facilities.
Expired food was also among the violations reported during the inspections. One report said expired chicken was found at a quick-commerce facility, while other outlets were flagged for inadequate temperature control and improper storage of perishable products.
14 quick-commerce licences suspended
Of the 14 licences suspended during the August 13 drive, five were linked to Blinkit establishments, five to Zepto, two to Instamart, one to Bhagwati Stores and one to Swinsta Enterprises, according to the FDA's reported findings.
The action has brought India's rapidly expanding quick-commerce sector under sharper regulatory attention. The FDA has warned food businesses operating through online platforms to strictly follow prescribed standards relating to food safety, hygiene and storage.
Restaurants and hotels also face action
The crackdown is not restricted to delivery warehouses. The FDA also inspected 109 hotels, restaurants, dhabas and other food establishments, issuing improvement notices to 49 and suspending four food-business licences.
The action follows a broader inspection campaign targeting major restaurant chains. Four Domino's Pizza outlets in Maharashtra recently faced licence suspensions after inspections reportedly found problems involving sanitation, pest control, food storage, temperature monitoring, segregation of raw and ready-to-eat food and food-safety documentation.
The enforcement drive has also extended to other prominent food businesses, with major chains including Starbucks and McDonald's among establishments inspected during the wider campaign.
Food safety experts see rising demand
The aggressive enforcement has prompted restaurants and other food businesses to seek help from food technologists and specialised safety consultants to identify shortcomings and bring their operations in line with regulatory requirements.
Businesses facing improvement notices or licence suspensions are increasingly reviewing their pest-control systems, kitchen sanitation, water testing, cold-chain management, food-handler training, documentation and internal safety audits.
The aim is not merely to reopen establishments after regulatory action but to address the systems that allowed the violations to occur in the first place.
Crackdown raises bigger consumer-safety questions
The latest inspections have also highlighted the challenges posed by the rapid expansion of food delivery and quick-commerce services, where products can move from warehouses to consumers within minutes.
The FDA's actions indicate that speed of delivery cannot come at the expense of basic food-safety standards. With regulators now inspecting both traditional food outlets and the warehouses behind online orders, businesses are facing growing pressure to demonstrate that food is stored, handled and delivered under safe conditions.
For consumers, the crackdown has brought an uncomfortable question to the forefront: how safe is the food stored just minutes away from their doorstep?
The Maharashtra FDA's recent actions suggest that establishments failing to answer that question satisfactorily could face increasingly strict regulatory consequences.