Food safety officials flag hygiene violations at over 50 city eateries

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s food safety department is going aggressively to maintain the food safety standards in the city hotels, restaurants, and other eateries. The department raided over 50 establishments and uncovered various violations. They also issued show cause notices to the managements found with violations.

During the raid, they found unhygienic conditions, expired packed food items, and misleading claims. As part of this special drive, the food safety officers recently conducted a raid at popular hotels, restaurants, tiffin centres, supermarkets, and manufacturing units. In the last three days, the food safety department raided over 53 establishments.

At Sky Food Products in Rajendranagar, which is involved in manufacturing confectioneries, there were various defects. Officers seized a massive 950 kgs of cocoa powder and 75 kgs of coloured sugar-coated saunf, which were sent for analysis. The team of food officers also issued a show cause notice to the establishment.

Food safety officers raided Hotel Savera at Chaderghat and found unhygienic flooring, sidewalls, and dishwashing areas. Kohirs Ginger Garlic Unit in Malakpet was instructed to use pallets, implement first-in-first-out and first-expired-first-out practices, and remove misleading claims from product labels.

At ‘O Cakes’ in Saleemnagar, the officers directed to display the date of manufacture and use by dates on prepared pastries. At Sri Pragnya Bhavan Hostel, Chikkadpally, the dining area was found to be unhygienic. At Masala Mantra, Gandhinagar, use of food colours was detected, and the items were discarded. At Mahadev Food Court, also at Gandhinagar, expired masala and synthetic colours were found and discarded on the spot.

The department also raided ten establishments in the Mehdipatnam area, including the famous Mohammedia Shawarma and Agra Chat Bhandar. In Alwal, they raided seven, including Balaji Eshwar Mithai Bhandar, Savera restaurant, Ankapur Ruchulu, Narsing meals, and Deccan Cuisine, and at Neredmet-Malkajgiri they raided 1980s Military Hotel, Aharnaya, and Lardven food court.

Moreover, in the King Kothi area they inspected Saffron Restaurant and Sai Baba General Store. In Yousufguda, they inspected Ushodaya supermarket, Paruchuri foods, Venkatara chicken mart, Vaishnavi tiffin, and Sambasivarao tiffin.

They also inspected the popular Niagara hotel, Al Matam Al Baith Mandi, Old Mumbai Ice Cream, and Hotel Delhi Datarkhan in Malakpet. Five establishments in the Shaikpet, Kachiguda, and Nallakunta areas were also scrutinised.

At Lakdikapul, they conducted raids at Khan-E-Khas, Shahi Dastarkhan, and Bade Miya Kebabs. They found a live cockroach infestation in the kitchen premises, expired food items at Shahi Dastarkhan, rat faeces found on shelves in Khan-E-Khas, and unhygienic conditions as well as cobwebs observed at Bade Miya Kebabs.

Food Safety Commissioner RV Karnan said that they were paying special attention to food safety across the State. He said that 3,774 hotels and street food vendors were registered with FSSAI licenses and registrations within a month after conducting the special drive.

Earlier, the Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha, said that the food safety department was not strengthened according to the increase in the number of hotels and the population in the last ten years. Now they were working to strengthen the department. The number of food safety officers was going to be increased according to the number of hotels and population.