Fungal growth on vegetables, expired milk and other food items were among the safety violations detected at several high-end hotels in Bengaluru during a special food safety inspection drive, officials said.
The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department inspected 26 three-star and five-star hotels across Bengaluru as part of the operation. Thirty teams of food safety officials carried out inspections on Friday, August 7, covering all zones under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, according to a statement issued by the department.
The inspections revealed multiple food safety violations, including unhygienic kitchen and storage conditions, expired food products and improper storage practices.
Officials also discovered vegetables and other food items contaminated with fungal growth. A video released by news agency ANI showed staff at one hotel apologising before disposing of a tray containing baked products in a garbage bin.
In several establishments, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food was not stored separately. Officials also found improper labelling, food misbranding and breaches of mandatory labelling requirements prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
The department said expired milk and other dairy and bakery products were found alongside chicken, fish, meat and vegetables in hotel storage areas.
HOTELS RAIDED, UNSAFE FOOD SEIZED
Unsafe food products were seized from several five-star properties during the inspections.
At The Lalit Ashok (Annex South), officials confiscated 76 kg of meat and 200 kg of vegetables. They also seized and destroyed 32 litres of expired milk.
At Shangri-La Bengaluru, 15 kg of meat was seized, while officials confiscated 19 kg of meat from Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru.
Officials also recovered 3 kg of expired bakery products from Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield and 72 kg of meat from Taj Yeshwantpur.
The largest seizure took place at The Radisson Blu (The Atria), where 105 kg of expired food products were confiscated. The seized items included 50 kg of chicken, 23 kg of meat, 7 kg of fish and 25 kg of vegetables.
During the inspections, officials collected 35 food samples and sent them to the Food Laboratory for testing. The samples included tea powder, chicken, mutton, fish, edible oil, chilli powder, turmeric powder, tomato sauce, lemon juice, cheese, papad, cashew nuts, ginger, pepper powder, spice powder and milk.
The department issued notices to the hotels over the violations. Further action will be taken based on the laboratory findings and relevant provisions of the law, officials said.
The Bengaluru inspections come as the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues its stringent crackdown on food establishments over safety violations. In recent weeks, the Maharashtra FDA has suspended the food licences of several restaurants and clubs in Mumbai after inspections uncovered issues such as pest infestations, expired food products and other safety breaches.
