Tukaram Mundhe’s food safety crackdown shakes up Mumbai

Indian bureaucrat Tukaram Mundhe is leading a major crackdown on food safety in Mumbai, with raids targeting restaurants, hotels, cricket clubs, street vendors and other food businesses across the city.

Mundhe, 51, took over as Maharashtra’s food safety chief in May and has led more than 3,000 raids since then as part of action against poor hygiene and unsafe food.

In recent weeks, his department suspended the food permits of four Domino’s outlets and one Pizza Hut outlet. His teams have also inspected other well-known restaurants, hotels and cricket clubs.

When a Mumbai judge accused Mundhe of selective aggression towards private outlets and asked whether court canteens were being checked, his teams conducted inspections there within hours. Some of the canteens were shut after they were found operating without licences.

“Those who try to not comply, they will face what is expected from the regulator,” Mundhe told Reuters in an interview, explaining his no-nonsense approach.

“You are dealing with the lives of people.”

Mundhe has gained widespread public support across India, tapping into concerns over food hygiene. While foreign chains such as Domino’s and McDonald’s are rapidly expanding, local eateries, roadside kiosks and small restaurants remain hugely popular despite longstanding concerns over hygiene.

Government data shows that Indian food inspectors have checked more than 100,000 food samples each year since 2020. Roughly 20 per cent of those samples were found to be unsafe, substandard or lacking proper labels.

Nearly 8,000 food business licences have been cancelled over the last three years.

“Everyone has tried to normalise this for years by saying it happens in India. It’s basically bottled-up anger,” said Ankur Bisen, a partner at consumer consulting firm The Knowledge Company.

“I have never seen anyone like Mundhe. It’s giving people hope.”

Mundhe, who is bespectacled and sports a chevron moustache, has developed an unconventional operating style.

He has appeared in television interviews saying nobody should dare bribe him and that he is not afraid of administrative action despite being transferred numerous times during his 21-year career as an officer of the highly regarded Indian Administrative Service.

“I get transferred every year,” he said in a 2018 interview.

His food safety team’s actions now regularly go viral. Raids are followed by detailed public statements and graphic images showing the interiors of eateries and grocery warehouses, including stained walls, crawling cockroaches, rats and expired food.

The images have shocked many Indians.

“It was surprising. I did not expect these many violations,” Mundhe said.

Reuters visits to 25 street vendors and restaurants in Mumbai last week showed heightened concern over Mundhe’s raids.

One vendor has replaced artificial red dye with natural chilli in Chinese offerings. Another has started changing frying oil three times a day and requires staff to wear gloves and head caps.

Mumbai’s popular street food, vada pav — a spicy potato patty in a bun — has also come under Mundhe’s scrutiny.

In June, he prohibited the use of newspapers as packaging material, a practice often used to wrap the delicacy.

Customers are noticing the changes and consuming street food with greater confidence.

Supriya Wagle, 14, said she was happy that her favourite vada pav was now being packed in cleaner butter paper, calling it “surely a relief”.

After finding lapses at some Domino’s and Pizza Hut stores, Mundhe’s team on Friday suspended the permit of a McDonald’s outlet after finding “live pest activity (cockroaches)” and “rotting food”.

The three companies did not respond to Reuters queries.

Mundhe’s crackdown has also included action against a Mumbai British-era cricket club, a 70-year-old ice cream parlour and a 110-year-old Parsi Dairy.

However, businesses have criticised the action, saying they should be given time to adapt. Some have approached the High Court and accused Mundhe’s department of high-handedness.

In one case, judges fined his department 500,000 rupees ($5,225) for continuing to suspend an eatery even after it had improved its compliance.

“If there are observations by the court, we take it seriously … if there is scope for improvement, we improve,” Mundhe said.

At an event in New Delhi on Friday, fans took quick selfies with Mundhe and jostled to shake his hand.

One fan told him Prime Minister Narendra Modi should give him a national role.

“I don’t think I’m a celebrity. I’m just a food safety commissioner,” Mundhe told Reuters.

(With inputs from Reuters)