Hyderabad: GHMC officials on prowl to strike at eateries flouting food safety norms

Hyderabad: Following complaints regarding the quality of food being served at several hotels, restaurants and food centres in the city, which is a matter of grave concern, officials of Food safety department under Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) initiated field inspections of city eateries to find adulteration and other illegal practices. In view of Ramzan, several mobile teams of Food Safety Officers and Assistant Medical Officers of Health officials inspected various hotels in the city.

Recently, The Hans India highlighted the issue that there were no food safety inspections taken by the Food safety department officials of GHMC to check and monitor the functioning of eateries. The health-conscious consumers have resorted to lodging complaints against hotels, particularly small hotels and fast food centres whose surroundings are completely unhygienic and are serving stale food.

Upon the publication of the report, and rising complaints about the quality of food served, the officials pulled up their socks and initiated field inspections across the city.

According to the Food safety wing, GHMC has appealed to hoteliers and the management of all hotels to take precautionary measures and ensure certain specified standards in the preparation of food, maintaining hygiene, and strictly follow the guidelines which have been issued by the GHMC to take all public safety measures.

Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi on Monday held a meeting with Food safety department officials and instructed them that food items should be checked, and samples should be collected from all eateries, including street food stalls, hotels and restaurants. She directed them to submit the daily report of the day-to-day inspections and samples taken by the food safety officials.

Food safety Officer Soumya Reddy said that officials tested the food items sold by the eateries, especially, the street vendors at the field level, and made the street vendors aware of the necessary instructions for maintaining quality and hygiene.

"The street vendors were made aware to prepare the food items in a clean environment, and there is no adulteration in the quality. They were directed not to throw garbage on the roads or in front of the hotels. Also instructed eateries to segregate the dry and wet waste separately for easy transportation to the garbage stations," she added.

Moreover, she said following the Ramzan festival, the officers held an inspection in hotels, restaurants, and roadside Haleem vendors. The GHMC has appealed to hoteliers to follow norms as per the Food Safety Standards Act 2006.

They were directed to maintain proper hygiene and take all the precautionary measures while preparing Haleem and instructed not to install Haleem Bhattis (brick and mud ovens used for preparing Haleem) on top floors of the buildings. "During inspection, hoteliers and the management of all hotels were directed to take precautionary measures and ensure certain specified standards for the preparation of Haleem."

In addition to ensuring special hygiene arrangements, owners of these hotels and restaurants will be urged to procure meat only through government-approved places to ensure that the meat consumed in hotels is good in quality and healthy.