The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licences of five Domino's Pizza outlets in Pune and Kolhapur after inspections found serious food safety and hygiene violations, including live cockroaches and dead cockroach remains in food storage and preparation areas.
FDA officials inspected more than 50 Domino's outlets across the Pune division earlier this week and found several irregularities related to food preparation, handling and storage, as well as cleanliness and sanitation.
Among the violations identified were the absence of appropriate equipment for handling vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, incomplete temperature records and inadequate cleanliness and sanitation.
Officials also found improper storage of food items, foul odours in dining areas and the absence of prescribed identification documents among food distribution staff.
Delivery boxes mounted on motorcycles were found left open along roadsides, while food waste had accumulated in areas where pizza bases were handled, according to the inspection findings.
Following the inspections, the department suspended the food licences of five outlets operated by Jubilant FoodWorks Limited, which runs Domino’s Pizza in India.
The outlets facing action are located in Warje and Hingne Khurd in Pune, Rajarampuri and A Ward in Kolhapur, and Chakan in Pune district. The licence suspensions were ordered on October 14 and 15, depending on the outlet.
The FDA said it would continue its special inspection drive covering hotels, restaurants, food retail establishments and online food delivery outlets. The initiative aims to ensure that citizens have access to safe, hygienic and quality food.
The action is part of a wider food safety crackdown underway in Maharashtra under the supervision of FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. In recent weeks, FDA officials have seized hundreds of kilograms of spoiled food, identified multiple violations and ordered the closure of several establishments. The department has also cancelled licences and issued notices to various entities, ranging from canteens to five-star hotels and upscale clubs.
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