Rats filmed running across tables at Rajkot McDonald's, civic body takes action

RAJKOT: A video showing two rats running across tables and chairs inside a McDonald’s outlet in Rajkot has gone viral on social media, prompting the civic action. The video, recorded by a customer, shows the rats moving across tables and seating areas used by customers in the outlet. Municipal health officer Jayesh Vakani said the civic authorities verified the video and found that the rats were in the party area of the outlet. “There are two areas at McDonald’s separated by glass partitions. One is the dining area, while the other is used for parties. We verified the video and found that the rats were in the party area, and they may have entered from outside,” Vakani said. He said the inspection did not reveal a hygiene issue at the outlet, but stressed the need for proper pest-control measures. “That is why we collected an administrative charge from them,” Vakani said. McDonald’s charged Rs 3,000 As part of the action, the food department collected samples of toned milk and strawberry fruit crush from Hard Castle Restaurant Pvt Ltd, which operates the McDonald’s outlet at Greenland Chowk. The establishment was also charged Rs 3,000. The samples were collected under the Food Safety and Standards Act and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The action against McDonald’s was part of a wider surveillance drive by the Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s food department targeting food adulteration and unhygienic practices. 53 food establishments inspected During the drive, civic officials inspected 53 food establishments, including restaurants, hostels and canteens. They destroyed around 65kg of stale and inedible food, issued notices to 18 establishments for violations related to food storage, licences and hygiene, and collected Rs 17,000 in administrative charges. A sample of used palmolein oil was also collected from Restaurant Brands Asia Ltd, which operates Burger King at Crystal Mall on Kalawad Road, and a notice was issued. At Leuva Patel Girls Hostel, officials destroyed 20kg of stale wheat flour, while another 20kg of expired popcorn packets was destroyed at Phenol Institute. Both establishments were issued notices over licensing and storage issues and charged Rs 1,000 each. At Vivanta Girls Hostel, officials destroyed 5kg of rotten potatoes and collected a Rs 1,000 administrative charge. At Prem Caterers, which operates the canteen at Mahila College, around 20kg of stale and inedible food was destroyed and a Rs 3,000 charge was collected. The inspections were carried out across areas including Kalawad Road, Morbi Road, Gondal Road, University Road, Kothariya Road and Nirmala Road, with the food department issuing notices to several establishments over shortcomings related to hygiene, licensing and storage.