The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business licences of four Domino’s Pizza outlets after inspections showed multiple food safety and hygiene violations. Three of the affected outlets are located in Mumbai, and the fourth is in Satara.
The move was part of a statewide food safety inspection drive targeting outlets operated by major restaurant and food-service chains. The inspections were conducted on August 11, and officials visited 104 establishments belonging to brands such as Domino’s Pizza, KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King, Starbucks and Monginis.
The inspection drive resulted in operations at two of the establishments being stopped and 95 improvement notices issued and five food business licences suspended. Four of the suspended licences were for Domino’s outlets.
A Vile Parle West Domino’s outlet operated by Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. was among those facing regulatory action. FDA officials found deficiencies in food storage, pest control, potable water testing, and hygiene facilities. The outlet also was ordered to enhance temperature control systems, separate food and non-food items in the kitchen, and repair parts of the kitchen.
The outlet must also take steps against rodents and other pests, the warning said.
Another affected outlet in Borivali West had an overall compliance score of 54%. Inspection identified deficiencies in storage, hygiene, temperature monitoring and pest control. The outlet was ordered to keep the food segregation between raw and cooked food and vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items in a proper way.
The Domino’s outlet at R-City Mall in Ghatkopar West received a licence suspension. Inspection findings showed insufficient sanitation and pest infestation and a lack of clean-up schedules. The outlet was advised to improve cleaning and sanitation procedures and to address pest and safety concerns.
The fourth Domino’s outlet in Satara was even lower with a compliance score of 47%. The FDA found deficiencies in infrastructure, equipment, cleanliness and pest control. The outlet was responsible for storage and access to the appropriate racks for raw materials and testing of food items in laboratories. It was also instructed to keep all necessary records about food safety compliance.
The new action is part of a wider food safety campaign undertaken by Maharashtra authorities. Food handling, storage, sanitation and pest management have been the focus of the FDA inspections in restaurants, food outlets and other establishments since late March.
The department had also recently suspended the licence of a Blinkit facility in Malad West after inspectors found cockroaches, improper food storage, expired products and inadequate pest-control arrangements.
The scale of the entire enforcement campaign is big. From May 25 to July 31, the Maharashtra FDA inspected 3,137 food establishments in Mumbai. In that time, 764 improvement notices were issued, and 165 food business licences were suspended.
As per the report, food items weighing approximately 28.66 lakh kilograms and valued around Rs 55.72 crore were seized or destroyed in the enforcement cycle.
The action against the four Domino’s outlets shows how important food safety standards are even for large national restaurant chains. If they are not tackled promptly, they can cause food safety issues with temperature control, food segregation, pest management, sanitation, infrastructure and storage.
The suspended outlets will be required to address the deficiencies identified by the FDA and comply with the prescribed food safety requirements before their operations can resume under the applicable regulatory process.
