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Maharashtra FDA Suspends Kyani & Co License for Hygiene Violations

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 10:19 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Maharashtra FDA suspended the licence of Mumbai’s 122-year-old Irani cafe Kyani & Co for hygiene violations.
Inspectors found rat droppings, flies, dead cockroaches, cats and pooled blood in a refrigerator.
The suspension was part of the ‘Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra’ drive that halted 30 licences.
Authorities seized 50,601.78 kg of food items valued at roughly INR1.19 crore.
Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe announced legal action against QSR Brands India, Royal China and United Bakery.

History

Historical Context

President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drug Act in June 1906, a Progressive-Era law championed by chemist Harvey W. Wiley that banned adulterated foods and drugs and created the USDA’s Bureau of Chemistry, later the FDA. That federal precedent underpins today’s Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, which recently suspended Kyani & Co.’s licence after inspectors found rat droppings and seized contaminated food.

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Story summary

Maharashtra FDA suspended the licence of Mumbai’s 122-year-old Irani cafe Kyani & Co for hygiene violations.
Inspectors found rat droppings, flies, dead cockroaches, cats and pooled blood in a refrigerator.
The suspension was part of the ‘Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra’ drive that halted 30 licences.
Authorities seized 50,601.78 kg of food items valued at roughly INR1.19 crore.
Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe announced legal action against QSR Brands India, Royal China and United Bakery.

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