Indian food safety officer shakes up Mumbai, one viral raid at a time

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

He has featured in TV interviews declaring nobody dare bribe him, and that he is not afraid of administrative action despite being transferred numerous times in 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.

Now, his food safety team's actions go viral daily — raids lead to detailed public statements and graphic images that show interiors of eateries and grocery warehouses with stained walls, crawling cockroaches and rats, and even expired food — photos that have shocked many Indians.

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

In Mumbai, Reuters visits last week to 25 street vendors and restaurants showed heightened fear about Mundhe's raids. One vendor has swapped artificial red dye for natural chilli in Chinese offerings, while another has started changing his frying oil three times a day and requires staff to wear gloves and head caps.