Mumbai’s iconic K. Rustom ice cream parlour shut after FDA finds hygiene violations

MUMBAI: The scoop has turned sour for one of Mumbai’s best-known ice cream destinations. The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended the food business licence of K. Rustom & Co. with immediate effect after inspectors uncovered multiple food safety and hygiene violations during a surprise inspection.

The iconic parlour, located near Churchgate railway station and known for its signature wafer ice cream sandwiches, was ordered to halt operations under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The action was taken on the directions of Tukaram Mundhe as part of the state’s ‘Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra’ drive.

FDA officials reported several serious lapses during the inspection. Live rats and houseflies were found moving freely inside food preparation and storage areas, raising concerns over contamination and public health.

Inspectors also seized and destroyed large quantities of expired artificial flavouring agents and essences that were allegedly being stored for use. The discarded products included flavours such as pistachio, pineapple, orange, strawberry, almond, blackcurrant and rum Jamaica.

The inspection also flagged product quality concerns. Earlier laboratory reports on ice cream samples collected from the establishment showed a milk fat content of 7.94 per cent, below the minimum 10 per cent prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for ice cream.

Authorities further found that the outlet had failed to maintain the mandatory temperature-controlled cold chain required for the safe storage and handling of ice cream. The establishment was also unable to produce key food safety, manufacturing and hygiene records required under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011.

Fresh ice cream samples have now been collected and sent to a government laboratory for detailed analysis. The FDA said further legal action will depend on the outcome of those test reports.

K. Rustom & Co. will remain closed until it rectifies all sanitation and compliance deficiencies, submits a satisfactory compliance report and clears a follow-up FDA inspection.

Founded in 1953, K. Rustom & Co. has been a Mumbai institution for more than seven decades and is widely known for its wafer-sandwiched ice cream slabs. Its suspension forms part of a wider statewide enforcement drive, which has also resulted in action against establishments including Shri Hira Sweets, where officials reported finding a dead rat, and Hotel Patilwada as the FDA intensifies food safety inspections across Maharashtra.