Crackdown cranked up on erring hotels, kitchens found infested with cockroaches

Hyderabad: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation task force raided various restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, and dairy manufacturing units across the city. They found the establishments unhygienic, discovered expired food items, and committed other violations.

Following rising complaints of unhygienic conditions, serving stale food, and insects in food items, especially biryani, the Food Safety officers pulled up their socks and initiated field inspections. They raided food joints, bakeries, ice-cream parlours, supermarkets, and dairy manifesting units and issued notices for not maintaining hygiene. In the last couple of days, the teams raided over a dozen eateries.

The officers raided Moon Bean Restaurant & Bar, Malakpet, and found a live cockroach infestation in the kitchen and storeroom. Expired food items such as ginger garlic paste, button mushrooms, and milk packets were found and discarded. Food handlers were found without haircaps, gloves. The establishment lacked medical fitness certificates for food handlers and pest control records.

At Tipsy Topsy Bakers, Dilsukhnagar, expired stock was found. A packet of jeera biscuits was discovered to have expired in 2023 and discarded. Rose cookies (packed) and a vinegar bottle were found without manufacturing and use-by dates and discarded. The bakery lacked medical fitness certificates for food handlers and pest control records.

The raid at Sahadeva Reddy Pure Ghee Sweets found food articles like namkeen, mixtures, and pickles that were not labelled with use-by dates. Packed 50 kg of chana dal was found without packaging, and use-by dates were seized. Also, medical fitness certificates, food handlers, and pest control records were not available.

At Al Saud Bait Al Mandi, Malakpet, a live cockroach infestation was found in the kitchen and storeroom. Synthetic food colours were found and discarded. Food handlers were not wearing head caps, gloves, and aprons. It also lacked medical fitness certificates for food handlers and pest control records.

The officers also inspected Capital Multicuisine Restaurant, Malakpet, Madhura Restaurant and Bar, Ramanthapur, Sree Swathi Tiffin, Habsiguda, and Grand Lakeview Restaurant & Bar, Uppal. Earlier, they raided ghee manufacturing units in Koti, including Mysore Ghee stores, Shree Mahalakshimi Kendra, and Sri Murugan Ghee stores, and found violations in all.