Mumbai’s iconic 122-year-old Irani café, Kyani & Co. in Kalbadevi, has had its food licence suspended with immediate effect after a Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection reportedly found several food-safety and hygiene violations.

The inspection was conducted on September 27 as part of the Maharashtra FDA’s festive-season food safety crackdown. Officials reportedly found cats, rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in areas used for food preparation and storage. A significant amount of blood was also reportedly found inside a refrigerator.

Inspectors also reported an open sewage manhole in the processing area. Food was allegedly being stored directly on the floor, while raw dough was covered with printed newspaper. The inspection further flagged inadequate separation between raw and ready-to-eat food and lapses in staff hygiene and use of protective equipment.

Following the findings, the FDA ordered the café to immediately stop purchasing, preparing, processing, storing, selling and distributing food products. The action was taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The development has also triggered strong reactions online, with some social-media users criticising the café’s reported hygiene and food standards, while others expressed disappointment over the action involving a historic Mumbai establishment.

The action against Kyani & Co. was part of a wider Maharashtra FDA drive conducted from September 23 to 27. During the crackdown, the department said it seized 50,601.78 kg of food products worth ₹1.19 crore, while licences or registration certificates of 30 establishments across Maharashtra were suspended.