Food safety violations were found at many restaurants in Telangana (Photo: X/ cfs_telangana)
A task force representing Telangana's Commissioner of Food Safety has continued to conduct inspections of eating joints in and around Hyderabad. The latest updates are from the Musheerabad, Secunderabad and Aramghar areas. The officials went to Secret Kitchen in Padmarao Nagar, Secunderabad on August 20, 2024. They found that it was following some of the protocols, including proper storage of refrigerated food, appropriate attire for food handlers, keeping pest control records, etc. However, there were a few lapses in other areas. The task force noted that the kitchen window was "open to outside premises without any insect-proof screen." They found water stagnated in the drains of the kitchen premises. Additionally, the food handlers' Medical Fitness Certificates for food handlers were unavailable.
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On the same day, the team inspected another restaurant in Padmarao Nagar called Golden Crown. The establishment was found to be operational despite there being no valid FSSAI license. The Medical Fitness Certificates of Food Handlers and Pest Control Records were not available. The handlers were also not wearing haircaps, aprons and gloves, as required. There were a few issues inside the kitchen premises. Firstly, it was found "open to the outside environment without any insect-proof screen to avoid entry of pests," the team stated. Secondly, there was water stagnation near the cleaning area. Thirdly, the dustbins did not have any lids. The overall condition of the space was not up to the mark, as the officials found that the ceiling and walls had flaky plaster and were greasy too. Lastly, they discovered that packed biscuit packets meant for sale to the customers kept at the billing counter, were not labelled at all.
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The officials inspected 4M Biryani House in Bholakpur, Musheerabad on August 20 too. They noted that the kitchen premises did not have any insect-proof screens to guard against pests - it was completely exposed to the outside environment. The flooring was found to be slippery. The dustbins did not have lids. The food handlers' Medical Fitness Certificates for food handlers were not available. A few of the handlers were found without haircaps, aprons and gloves. Some of the semi-cooked food did not have proper covering and labelling.
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The following day, the task force visited establishments in the Aramghar area. They found wide-ranging food safety violations at Dar Al Mandi. The officials stated that the FBO (Food Business Operator) did not provide a copy of its FSSAI license during the inspection. Additionally, the team noted that "Swiggy food delivery app is managing orders for this establishment with an inactive/expired license." The officials suspected that synthetic food colours were being used in the preparation of non-veg dishes and they were thus discarded on the spot. Some of the food handlers were not wearing haircaps, aprons and gloves. The handlers' medical fitness certificates and pest control records were not provided to the task force by the FBO available at the counter during its inspection.
Several problems were discovered in the kitchen. Its premises were found "open to the outside environment". There were no insect-proof screens and closely fitted doors to prevent pests from entering the space. The officials also observed house flies inside. There were no dustbins found on the premises. It came to light that the FBO was using carry bags for handling kitchen waste. Overall, the kitchen premises were deemed "highly unhygienic". The task force noted patchy flooring and drain water stagnation too.
On August 21, 2024, the task force also visited Golden Pears restaurant. The officials noted that the FBO was operating with a registration certificate instead of a state license. Pest control records and Medical fitness certificates for food handlers were not available. Some of the handlers were not attired properly. The officials discarded synthetic food colours discovered on the premises as they were suspected of being used while making non-veg starters. They also got rid of four expired milk packets. In the storage area, unlabelled ghee packets were found. The refrigerator was deemed to be in a "highly unhygienic condition," with spillage of raw mutton inside it. The windows were "open to the outside environment" and houseflies were seen inside the kitchen premises.
Before this, the task force inspected restaurants in and around Hyderabad's Gachibowli area. From expired food to infestation, wide-ranging food safety violations were discovered at the establishments. Click here to read the full story.
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