Restaurants in Banjara Hills were inspected for food safety violations (Photo: X/ cfs_telangana)
The special task force from Telangana's Commissioner of Food Safety visited food establishments in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, on September 2, 2024. From improper food storage to lack of hygienic conditions, several violations were unearthed. At Niloufer Cafe, the officials found expired ingredients in the kitchen, including 500 grams of cheese, Kashmiri paprika powder and 5 kilos of roasted peanuts. Unlabelled food items like sugar syrup and spices were discovered inside the fridge. Additionally, cakes meant for sale, stored in the display section, were not labelled.
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On the same day, the task force inspected Haiku restaurant in Banjara Hills. The officials discarded ingredients like cumin seeds, black sesame, tamarind and red lotus flour, as they were expired. They found unlabelled food articles in the refrigerator. They observed that the kitchen had broken tiles and the flooring was slippery. Moreover, the team noted that the "drains were stagnated with water and food waste in the kitchen."
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The third establishment in Banjara Hills to be inspected was Raja Deluxe Restaurant. Here, too, the officials discovered that there was slippery flooring and water stagnation in drains. They also noted that the "doors and windows were not close-fitted with insect-proof screens." The kitchen premises had several other problems too. The officials found synthetic food colours and got rid of them. Dustbins were observed to be open. The refrigerator where raw meat was being stored was deemed unhygienic. Some of the food kept inside the fridge did not have labels. Additionally, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items were being stored in the same refrigerator. The task force noted that the FIFO process was not being maintained in the store room. (FIFO stands for "First In First Out". It is a storage system that helps ensure food is used before it goes bad). The officials also found out that there was no Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) trainee available at the establishment.
Before this, the task force had conducted inspections in Hyderabad's Dilsukhnagar area on August 31, 2024. Click here to read the full story.
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