Key Update

Food safety officials seized and destroyed more than 250 kg of meat, 207 kg of vegetables, 32 litres of milk and 3 kg of bakery products from six five-star hotels in Bengaluru after finding expired food and serious hygiene and storage lapses. The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) deployed 30 Food Safety Officer teams on Friday, August 7, to inspect 26 three-star and five-star hotels across Bengaluru Urban district. The teams covered all Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) zones.

Officials Find Multiple Food Safety Violations

Inspectors found expired milk, bakery products, chicken, fish, meat and vegetables, along with unhygienic kitchen and storage conditions. They also found fungal growth on vegetables, improper labelling and misbranding, and inadequate separation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. The teams checked meat storage practices, raw and cooked food segregation, cross-contamination controls, cold-chain maintenance and FSSAI labelling compliance.

Major Seizures

At The Lalit Ashok (South Annexe), officials seized 76 kg of meat, 200 kg of vegetables and 32 litres of expired milk. They also seized 15 kg of meat at Shangri-La Bengaluru, 19 kg at Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, 3 kg of expired bakery products at Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield, and 72 kg of meat and fish at Taj Yeshwantpur. At Radisson Blu (The Atria), the teams seized 105 kg of food, including 50 kg of chicken, 25 kg of meat, 23 kg of fish and 7 kg of vegetables. Officials destroyed the seized food after determining it was unfit for consumption.

35 Samples Sent for Testing

The inspection teams collected 35 food samples, including chicken, mutton, fish, milk, edible oil, spices, cheese, tea powder and sauces, and sent them to the Food Laboratory for analysis. The FSDA issued notices to the concerned Food Business Operators and will take further legal action based on the inspection findings and laboratory results.

Inspections to Continue

Health Minister U.T. Khader said the government started the drive with luxury hotels to send a clear message that food safety rules apply to every food business, regardless of its size or reputation. Khader also questioned the use of imported meat after officials reportedly found Danish meat in a hotel kitchen. He urged hotel operators to put food safety ahead of profits.

The FSDA will continue inspecting hotel kitchens, warehouses and centralised kitchens, with a focus on food storage, temperature control, cold-chain maintenance and cross-contamination prevention.

Source: The Indian Express 

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