Bengaluru surprise restaurant inspections uncover expired food, hygiene lapses

Bengaluru surprise restaurant inspections uncover expired food, hygiene lapses The seizures included 276kg of rotten or mould-affected vegetables, expired dairy and bakery products and used or non-compliant cooking oil. BENGALURU: Food safety authorities carried out recent surprise inspections at restaurants, luxury hotels and other food establishments across Bengaluru, uncovering multiple lapses in hygiene. The government said the inspections were not a one-time campaign, and that food safety enforcement drives will continue across the city, including at state-run canteens. Three- and five-star hotels were among the 60 food establishments where checks were conducted between Aug 7 and 9, with 77 food samples collected for laboratory testing. Officials from Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) said they found violations involving food storage and labelling, expired products and unhygienic food-handling practices. Large quantities of food and other products were seized, including 640kg of meat and fish that authorities said was either expired, mislabelled or did not carry manufacturing or expiry dates. Also seized were 276kg of rotten or mould-affected vegetables, expired dairy and bakery products and used or non-compliant cooking oil. Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader said some establishments were placing greater emphasis on the look of their dining areas, rather than the conditions in their kitchens. ‘‘All the restaurants, the management and the owners … they give (the) least priority for the kitchen and the storage. They give more priority to their ambience, the sitting arrangement, the lighting, the entrance,” he said. Khader said businesses should instead place more importance on cleanliness, hygiene, food storage practices and food quality. RESIDENTS WELCOME FOOD SAFETY CHECKS Some Bengaluru residents have welcomed the spot checks, saying the inspections were overdue. “There are many restaurants that claim to be very hygienic, but what we don’t know is what is (going on) inside in the kitchen. So this kind of raids are really needed,” said one resident. Another resident pointed out that customers pay higher prices for food at restaurants in hotel establishments and expect a certain standard for food hygiene to be met. “When we go for three-star hotels and five-star hotels, we pay so much money for the food and if we don’t get the proper healthy food … I feel every three-star and five-star hotel should have a quality inspector,” he said. But the city’s restaurant association said the surprise inspections risked giving the public a skewed view of the food industry. Bangalore Hotels Association president Subramanya Holla said authorities could have taken a more measured approach instead. “They should (do) inspections, and you can do it in the milder way and educate the restaurants – that if you are making (a) mistake here, you correct it,” he said. “We would have appreciated it, but now it is blown out of proportion.” ENFORCEMENT DRIVE TO CONTINUE The checks have also extended beyond conventional restaurants and hotels to warehouses used by quick-commerce companies, which authorities have flagged for unhygienic food-handling practices. Businesses found to have violated food safety regulations can face fines, legal action, as well as the suspension or permanent cancellation of their operating licences. Authorities say the objective of the food safety enforcement drive is not to shut down businesses, but to raise awareness and push operators to give greater priority to food safety and hygiene.