Restaurant Bodies Urge Maharashtra FDA To Issue Improvement Notices Before Suspending Licences, Oppose 'Name & Shame' Practice
Major hospitality bodies HRAWI, NRAI and AHAR have urged the Maharashtra FDA to follow due process by issuing improvement notices before taking punitive action against food establishments. They also opposed the practice of publicly naming restaurants before investigations conclude, warning it harms reputations, livelihoods and consumer trust while undermining principles of natural justice.
Restaurant Bodies Urge Maharashtra FDA To Issue Improvement Notices Before Suspending Licences, Oppose 'Name & Shame' Practice | File Pic
Mumbai: Major hospitality associations across Maharashtra have urged the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to adhere strictly to due process of serving improvement notices to kitchen establishments and halt the practice of naming and shaming them before investigations are complete.
In a joint appeal, the Hotel and Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI), the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) raised concerns over recent public enforcement tactics. The industry bodies cautioned that premature publicity threatens to cause irreparable reputational damage to businesses built over decades.
At the heart of the sector's representation is a call for the FDA to issue prior improvement notices under Section 32 of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, giving food business operators a fair opportunity to rectify identified deficiencies before resorting to licence suspensions or cancellations. It has also requested the regulatory authority to refrain from publishing names, photographs or video footage of establishments in mainstream media or on social media platforms before full legal proceedings and compliance reviews are concluded.
The representation urged FDA to exercise caution when issuing public statements regarding ongoing inspections, recognising that initial findings are often interim and subject to rectification. While reiterating their commitment to maintaining high hygiene and safety standards, association leaders pointed out that publicising interim inspection findings bypasses the principles of natural justice. It highlighted that under the statutory framework of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), inspections are designed to be consultative and corrective in the first instance.
The associations highlighted that the hospitality sector supports thousands of local livelihoods. Unverified or premature disclosures, they argued, destroy consumer trust instantly – long before an operator has the legal chance to remedy a minor operational flaw or present a defense.
The industry bodies emphasised their long-standing partnership with both the FSSAI and the Maharashtra FDA on capacity building, training, and awareness programmes. Reaffirming their willingness to work alongside regulators to foster a strong culture of compliance, HRAWI, NRAI and AHAR urged the authority to balance public health protection with fairness, ensuring regulatory enforcement remains constructive rather than punitive.
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