Live rats, houseflies: FDA suspends licence of Mumbai’s iconic ‘Rustom’ ice cream parlour over food safety violations

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licence of a renowned ice-cream outlet of Mumbai, ‘Rustom’, after finding serious food safety and hygiene violations, including live rats, houseflies, and expired food items stored at the outlet.

A press note of the FDA briefs says that the action agaisnt the Rustom ice cream parlour located at Brabourne Stadium House on Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, Mumbai, has been taken after the outlet was found to have violated the sanitation requirements prescribed in Schedule 4.

During the inspection, serious deficiencies were observed, including the presence of live rats and houseflies on the premises, breakdown of cold chain operations, failure to maintain mandatory records, and presence of expired food products. In view of these serious violations, an order for immediate suspension of the food license was issued under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Mumbai’s iconic Rustom Ice Cream faces action as the Maharashtra FDA suspends its licence following an inspection that reportedly found serious hygiene violations.#Mumbai #RustomIceCream #FoodSafety #MaharashtraFDA #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/skqk3gqjnj

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‘Rustom’ is one of the most iconic and old-school ice-cream outlets in Mumbai. Founded in 1953 by K Rustom Irani, Rustom & Co. is famous for its signature ice cream sandwiches. It stands today as an irreplaceable piece of Mumbai’s culinary heritage, serving pocket-friendly joy to massive crowds right by Marine Drive.

Alongside, the food business license of Hotel Patilwada, Dhule, was also suspended for operating without a valid license, thereby violating the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.

The licence of Hira Sweets Pvt Ltd, located at Dr Ambedkar Marg, Panchpaoli, Nagpur, was suspended because, during an inspection, a dead rat was found at the premises while food production was simultaneously underway nearby; this constituted a violation of Part II of Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. (ANI)