Restaurant and bar services at Bandra’s elite Otters Club were shut down on Tuesday after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended its food licence for stocking analog paneer and for storing edibles in refrigerators whose doors didn’t shut properly, among other things. Because the FDA had assigned it 88% compliance after an inspection, the club says it is shocked.
The establishment also lacked records for compliances relating to the quality of cooking oil used. “The administration in Maharashtra has a strict role in food quality and law enforcement. We will not tolerate any tampering with the health of the people. Citizens have the right to get pure food.
The FDA, for its part, said it found the club stocking analog paneer in addition to hygiene issues like dirty and damaged floor tiles, a partially blocked drain and defective refrigerator gaskets and linings, which prevented refrigerator doors from closing properly, resulting in temperature fluctuations. The FDA also said the club lacked mandatory information and display boards relating to cooked and ready-to-eat food products. Ashok Motwani, chief executive officer, Otters Club, told HT that they will appeal the FDA’s action. “We are shocked because the FDA itself marked us 96 out of 110, or 88% compliance – these are the FDA’s own scores for us,” he said. Motwani also said the club’s paneer stock had been sourced from a well-known dairy and the packet mentioned ‘proprietary paneer’, not ‘analog paneer’. “Hence, we can’t understand this and are going to appeal,” said Motwani.
If anyone is found adulterating it or selling, storing or producing banned substances, stricter action is being taken and will continue to be taken in the future,” said Mundhe in a media statement on Tuesday.
