Bengaluru food safety officials have uncovered alarming hygiene violations during a recent inspection drive targeting three-star and five-star hotels across the city. The raids revealed unhygienic kitchen conditions, expired food products, fungal growth on vegetables, and improper food handling practices.
Widespread Lapses Found in Upscale Kitchens
On Friday, August 7, 30 teams from the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department inspected 26 upscale hotels across all zones under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. Officials reported finding expired milk, dairy, and bakery products, alongside chicken, fish, meat, and vegetables affected by fungal growth.
Beyond expired goods, inspectors noted several critical lapses, including:
- Unhygienic kitchen and food storage areas.
- Failure to segregate vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items.
- Improper labeling and food misbranding, violating Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules.
Significant Seizures at Prominent Hotels
The inspection drive led to the seizure of substantial quantities of unsafe food from several well-known establishments:
- The Lalit Ashok, Annex South: 76 kg of meat, 200 kg of vegetables, and 32 litres of expired milk.
- Shangri-La Bengaluru: 15 kg of meat.
- Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru: 19 kg of meat.
- Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield: 3 kg of expired bakery products.
- Taj Yeshwantpur: 72 kg of meat.
- The Radisson Blu, The Atria: The largest seizure, totaling 105 kg of expired products, including 50 kg of chicken, 23 kg of meat, 7 kg of fish, and 25 kg of vegetables.
In total, hundreds of kilograms of various food items deemed unsafe were confiscated and destroyed.
Samples Collected for Further Analysis
As part of the ongoing investigation, 35 food samples were collected from the inspected hotels. These samples, which included tea powder, chicken, mutton, fish, edible oil, spices, sauces, cheese, and milk, have been sent to the Food Laboratory for detailed analysis.
The department has issued notices to the implicated hotels regarding the violations. Further legal action will be determined based on the laboratory reports and applicable provisions of food safety law.
This crackdown in Bengaluru mirrors similar food safety drives elsewhere in India, such as the recent actions by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, which have seen multiple eateries and clubs face license suspensions due to hygiene and safety breaches.