Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration on October 15 halted operations at three Domino’s Pizza outlets in Parel, Marol and Borivali after a Food Safety Officer flagged severe infractions during a routine check on October 13. The inspector catalogued rampant cockroach colonies, rat droppings littering storage racks, a dead rat under a pallet, and a 5‑kg bag of cheese that had spilled onto the floor. Burnt oil, mouldy milk packets and a sour buttermilk stench were also reported, while the frozen room was described as a “blackened, icy nightmare.”
This action is part of a wider crackdown that saw 19 food‑service licences in Maharashtra—17 in Mumbai and two in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar—suspended. The FDA seized 24,406 kg of suspect stock, worth ₹50.19 lakh, and confiscated adulterated oil from two repacking units, worth over ₹39 lakh. Four arrests followed in the Konkan and Greater Mumbai divisions for stock mislabeling.
Employees at the affected Domino’s sites were found without valid medical certificates, and workers were seen handling food with bare hands and no headgear. A 32‑year‑old staffer, Ramesh Kumar, claimed he had to operate in “a kitchen that smelled like a landfill” and feared foodborne illness. The FDA noted that the outlets lacked adequate drinking water and pest‑control protocols.
The regulator has set a remedial audit for November 5, 2026, before the outlets can be reinstated. Until then, Domino’s franchise owners must rectify the sanitary lapses, submit a pest‑control plan and demonstrate compliance with the 2025 Food Safety & Standards Authority of India guidelines.
Domino’s India has issued a statement that it is reviewing the FDA findings and will cooperate fully with the agency, but has not yet released a timetable for reopening.