Mumbai's iconic K. Rustom ice cream parlour near Churchgate railway station has been ordered to shut after a surprise inspection by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allegedly uncovered multiple hygiene and food safety violations, including the presence of rodents, flies and expired flavouring agents.
As part of its "Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra" campaign, the FDA suspended the parlour's licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Officials said the outlet will remain closed until laboratory reports on the collected food samples are received and further regulatory action is determined.
According to the FDA, inspectors found significant quantities of expired artificial flavouring agents and essences that were allegedly being stored for use in the preparation of ice cream. The expired stock reportedly included flavours such as pistachio, pineapple, strawberry, blackcurrant, cherry, almond, lemon and mixed fruit.
The regulator said the expired products were destroyed on-site to prevent their use.
The inspection also allegedly revealed the presence of live rats and flies within the premises and storage areas, along with deficiencies in maintaining the cold chain required for the safe storage and handling of ice cream.
Food samples collected during the inspection have been sent for laboratory analysis. The FDA also stated that an earlier report from an external laboratory had found the parlour's ice cream contained 7.94 per cent milk fat, below the minimum 10 per cent requirement prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) norms.
"The licence has been suspended after serious hygiene deficiencies and regulatory violations were detected during the inspection. The establishment has also been directed to remain closed until the food sample reports are received," the FDA said in a statement.
The inspection was conducted by Food Safety Officers Tejaswini Patil and Akash Chavan under the supervision of Joint Commissioner (Food) P. R. Singarwad and Assistant Commissioner (Food) and Designated Officer Anupama Patil.
