Fungus on food, expired milk: Bengaluru 5-star hotel faces action after raids uncover glaring violation
The inspections found several violations, including unhygienic kitchen and storage areas, expired food products and improper storage of food items.
PTC News Desk: Fungal growth on vegetables, expired milk and other unsafe food items were found at several luxury hotels in Bengaluru during a special food safety inspection, officials said.
The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department inspected 26 three-star and five-star hotels across Bengaluru on Friday (August 7). Around 30 food safety teams carried out inspections in all zones under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
The inspections found several violations, including unhygienic kitchen and storage areas, expired food products and improper storage of food items.
Officials also found that some hotels were not keeping vegetarian and non-vegetarian food separately. Other violations included incorrect labelling, food misbranding and failure to follow mandatory Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) labelling rules.
Expired milk, dairy and bakery products, as well as chicken, fish, meat and vegetables, were found in hotel storage areas.
Hotels raided, unsafe food seized
The largest seizure was reported at The Radisson Blu (The Atria), where officials seized 105 kg of expired food. This included 50 kg of chicken, 23 kg of meat, 7 kg of fish and 25 kg of vegetables.
Officials collected 35 food samples from the hotels and sent them to a food laboratory for testing. The samples included tea powder, chicken, mutton, fish, edible oil, chilli powder, turmeric, tomato sauce, lemon juice, cheese, papad, cashew nuts, ginger, pepper powder, spices and milk.
The department issued notices to the hotels for the violations. Further action will be taken after the laboratory reports are received and according to the relevant food safety laws.
The Bengaluru inspections come as the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration is also carrying out a strict crackdown on food safety violations. In recent weeks, several restaurants and clubs in Mumbai have faced action after inspections found problems such as pests, expired food and other hygiene violations.