Rat Faeces, Expired Food And More Food Safety Violations Found At Monginis Cake Shop In Hyderabad

A food safety task force undertook inspections in areas in and around Hyderabad city on January 3, 2025. The officials discovered several issues at an outlet of Monginis Cake Shop in Macha Bollaram in Alwal. They observed rat faeces in the storage area and a live cockroach infestation in the manufacturing unit on the premises. The moulds/vessels used for cake preparation were deemed to be "very unhygienic." The task force also discovered many expired items at the cake shop. They listed each of them with their dates of expiry, some of which were two years ago. The products included 5 litres of kesar syrup, 5 kilos each of pineapple flavouring and flavour compounds, half a kilo of vanilla flavour, 8 kilos of desiccated coconut powder, etc.

The storage area was found to be inadequate. The team noted that packing material and other products were stored on the ground and on the steps. The team also noted the patchy condition of the walls and ceilings, which had flaking particles. Moreover, the AC in the Cold Room on the premises was leaking. The officials underlined the risk this poses since the leaking AC "can contaminate the food products stored in the trays in the room." The refrigerators were found to be in an unhygienic condition, as food waste was littered inside them. Additionally, several food articles had been stored in unhygienic plastic drums, as per the task force.

That's not all. The Monginis outlet had not displayed its FSSAI license at a prominent location. Employee Health records and FoSTaC certificates were found to be unavailable. The FBO [Food Business Operator] had also not obtained the necessary license for the 7 Chiller vehicles being used for the transportation of its goods.

Task force team has conducted inspections in Alwal area on 03.12.2024.

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽, 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺, 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝗹

* FSSAI license not displayed at prominent location.

* Storage is not adequate and packing material and some other products were… pic.twitter.com/dswW18HUrx

— Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana (@cfs_telangana) January 4, 2025

Also Read: Hyderabad Restaurant Inspections Continue: Here's What Was Found In Gachibowli

On the same day, the task force inspected another bakery/cake shop near Hyderabad - VACS Pastries in Secunderabad. The officials discovered that rum (an alcoholic substance) was being used to make plum cakes without excise permission. Additionally, this usage was also not disclosed on the label of the product. The team found out that the FBO [Food Business Operator] had prepared a cake pulp in bulk by mixing dry fruits and jam, and was storing it in plastic drums. The FBO claimed that this pulp could be used for six months but the details regarding the dates of preparation and best-before dates were not provided/available. The officials found that the moulds/vessels used for cake preparation were unhygienic. Furthermore, they discovered food and non-food items like chemicals, semi-prepared veg and non-veg food items stored together. Some of the food items kept in the refrigerator lacked labels and coverings. The FBO had also not maintained temperature records for the fridge.

The team made note of several "labelling and display violations" in all the food items such as plum cakes, biscuits, bread, etc., manufactured in the unit. For instance, the FSSAI license, FSSAI Logo, manufacturing address, VeNon-Vegeg logo, etc. were not displayed. The ingredient details, nutritional information and Batch Numbers were not displayed either. The task force also stated that the Water analysis reports and Medical Records of food handlers were not available with the FBO during the inspection. No FoSTaC-trained personnel were available on the premises.

𝗩𝗔𝗖𝗦 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 (𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘆), 𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮, 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗱
03.12.2024

* Water analysis reports and Medical Records of food handlers were not available. No FoSTaC trained personnel available.

* Alcohol (Rum) is being used to prepare plum cakes without… pic.twitter.com/f5LVbUpqxu

— Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana (@cfs_telangana) January 4, 2025

Last month, the food safety officials inspected dairy units in Hyderabad. Click here to read the full article and see what they uncovered.