Many food safety violations have been found at Hyderabad restaurants (Photo: Instagram/ cfs_telangana)
Inspections undertaken by Telangana's Commissioner of Food Safety have unearthed wide-ranging violations at popular restaurants in different areas of Hyderabad recently. On July 3, 2024, the task force visited establishments in the Tolichowki neighbourhood. At two of the restaurants - Hotel Rumaan and 4 Seasons Multi-Cuisine Restaurant - the kitchen premises were found to be "open to the outside environment" and did not have an insect-proof screen. Moreover, the kitchens' doors were not closely fitted, which could allow the entry of pests or dust into the premises. The task force noted that the dustbins at both establishments were not closed/covered.
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At Hotel Rumaan, the officials discovered that food items stored inside the refrigerator were not covered and not labelled properly. Additionally, some parts of the flooring were patchy and loose plaster flakes were observed on the ceiling. At the 4 Seasons Multi-Cuisine Restaurant in Tolichowki, more violations were found. The team detected water stagnation near the cleaning areas and loose plastering flakes inside the kitchen. The officials seized misbranded items such as "Sweet Sounf, Fry Sounf and Potli ka Masala'' because they did not bear dates of manufacture/dates on which they were packaged. Certain stored items in this restaurant too were found to be lacking proper labels and covers. Additionally, the true copy of the FSSAI license was not displayed on the premises. The task force team asked the restaurant for the medical fitness certificates of the food handlers and they were said to be unavailable. However, upon enquiry, the restaurant claimed that the diagnostic tests had been completed and awaiting certificates.
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Before this, on July 1, 2024, the team from the Commissioner of Food Safety visited restaurants in Hyderabad's Gachibowli area. At Tabula Rasa in Nanakramguda and Hakuna Matata Kitchen, the true copies of the FSSAI license were not displayed on the premises. The medical fitness certificates of the food handlers at both restaurants were not available. At Tabula Rasa, the officials encountered a few of them found without headgear. Moreover, open dustbins were observed, with house flies swarming around it. The task force discarded prepared Turkish milk and 12 kilos of prawns at the establishment as they were found to be past the expiry date. At Hakuna Matata Kitchen in Gachibowli, the officials noted that the food handlers were not wearing headgear, gloves and aprons. The kitchen lacked closed fitted doors and an insect-proof screen to prevent entry of pests. Raw materials and semi-prepared dishes were found to be without proper labelling and covers. The pest control records for the premises were also not available.
More recently, on July 6, 2024, the task force teams visited the Hanumakonda district of Telangana. They issued a notice to Hotel Thousand Pillars due to multiple food safety violations. Find out more here.
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