License of Mumbai’s Renowned Parsi Dairy Farm Suspended; Food Products Worth Crores Seized in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business license of the famous Mumbai-based Parsi Dairy Farm Private Limited. This action was taken due to serious violations of FSSAI food safety and hygiene regulations. Officials provided this information on Thursday.

Presence of Insects and Rodents at the Dairy

Inspections revealed that the dairy lacked a designated area for unloading raw milk, fungus had accumulated on the walls, and raw materials were stored directly on the floor. Additionally, the presence of insects and rodents was detected on the premises.

A spokesperson for this renowned establishment, which has been operating since 1916, told the media that the company is currently working to comply with certain technical regulations and procedures mandated by the food safety authority (FSSAI). Notably, this strict action by the FDA follows the recent suspension of licenses for Mumbai’s famous ice cream parlor ‘K. Rustom’s’ as well as major restaurants like ‘Shalimar’ and ‘Noor Mohammadi’.

What Was the State-Wide Campaign?

The action against Parsi Dairy Farm was part of a special state-wide inspection drive conducted on July 14 and 15. During this campaign, the FDA inspected dairy units, food manufacturers, restaurants, and vendors across Maharashtra. Food products worth over ₹1.90 crore were seized during the drive. This included 2,317 liters of milk and 6,849.25 kilograms of dairy products, valued at ₹45.78 lakh.

Additionally, 1,683 liters of milk were seized at Sufi Dairy in Govandi; the milk was stored in open tanks and plastic bags, violating regulations that require it to be sold in sealed packaging. Cheese, *barfi*, and loose *paneer* lacking batch numbers and expiry dates have been seized from Agarwal Enterprises in Mulund. The *paneer* is also suspected to be counterfeit, and samples have been sent to a laboratory for testing. Meanwhile, the Drugs Department raided JK Soap Bazaar in Jogeshwari and seized unlabelled soaps worth approximately ₹11 lakh. Essential details—such as batch numbers, the company’s name and address, and manufacturing dates—were missing from the soap packets, constituting a direct violation of regulations.