A city-wide inspection in Bengaluru has put luxury hotels and resorts under the scanner for multiple food safety violations. The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted an inspection drive, which revealed that hotels like the Taj Yeshwantpur and Shangri-La were reportedly storing expired milk, rotten meat and vegetables covered in fungus.
The food safety violations ranged from unhygienic storage to inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
The drive, which covered about 26 hotels, included several three-star and five-star establishments.
The FDA had now initiated legal action against the establishments violating the the norms, ANI reported.
Karnataka Health Minister UT Khader said that the raids were aimed at enforcing strict compliance with food safety norms across all categories of hotels.
About 30 teams of Food safety officers were deployed to inspect the hotels. The teams covered all the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) zones and checked compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, along with related rules.
They also collected about 35 food samples for testing, including chicken, mutton, fish, edible oil, milk, spices, tea powder, cheese, tomato sauce and lemon juice.
The samples were sent to a lab for testing, and further action will be taken based on the results.
Officials flagged improper handling of food. Misbranded food products and violations of FSSAI labelling norms.
They also seized substantial quantities of food to be destroyed after they were deemed expired or unsafe for consumption.
These included chicken meat, fish, vegetables, milk and bakery products;
The Lalit Ashok (Annex South) teams confiscated about 76 kg of meat, 200 kg of vegetables and 32 litres of expired milk.
At Shangri-La Bengaluru, the teams seized about 15 kilograms of meat. About 19 kilograms of meat were also confiscated from Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru. About 3 kilograms of expired bakery items were destroyed from Vivanta Bengaluru in Whitefield.
Officials also seized about 72 kg of meat and dit at Taj Yeshwantpir. Authorities also destroyed about 105 kg of expired food, including chicken, meat, fish and vegetables, from Radisson Blu.
The drive was launched by the health minister after several complaints from members of the public on social media alleging unsafe food and unhygienic practices at eateries.
