Contaminated food worth Rs 52,000 disposed

Suryapet: In a series of surprise inspections across Suryapet district, Telangana State Food Safety Task Force officials uncovered numerous health and safety violations in several restaurants and bakery sweet production centres.

Under the direction of Telangana State Food Safety Commissioner RV Karnan, the inspections were led by Task Force Team Head and Zonal Assistant Food Controller V Jyothirmayi, along with food inspectors Rohit Reddy, Shrshika and P Swathi. The team inspected popular establishments, including LS Bakery, Kaveri Grand Hotel, Tanus Logili Hotel, and Dolphin Bakery in Suryapet town.

During the inspections, the team found several alarming issues, including unsanitary kitchens, failure to maintain proper refrigerator temperatures according to food safety standards, and approximately Rs 52,000 worth of spoiled meat, fish, and eggs, as well as unsafe products like artificially coloured chicken, various types of fish, and tandoori chicken. In addition, expired wheat flour and other unsafe food ingredients were identified. Reacting strongly to these findings, Jyothirmayi and the team immediately destroyed the contaminated meat products to protect public health and issued formal notices to the management of these establishments.

The inspections also uncovered other serious violations in bakeries. Kitchens were found to be unhygienic, with used oil being repeatedly reheated for cooking. Furthermore, about Rs 5,000 worth of expired colour sprays and improperly labelled cake and bread packages were seized and destroyed on the spot. Notices were issued to bakery owners for breaching the Food Safety Standards Act, and suspicious samples were collected for further analysis.

The officials highlighted that repeatedly reheated cooking oil poses significant health risks, including an increased likelihood of cancer. To address this, improvement notices were immediately issued, and the used oil was disposed of in the drainage system.

The Task Force issued a stern warning to all food manufacturers and vendors in the district, urging them to strictly follow food safety standards and provide safe food to the public. Officials warned that any violation of food safety regulations would result in criminal charges, and, if necessary, operations would be shut down with assistance from other

departments.

Several staff members of the department supported the task force officials in conducting these extensive

inspections.