Unsafe Food, Infestation And Lack Of Hygiene Flagged At Sodexo India's Unit In Hyderabad

A task force representing Telangana's Food Safety Commissioner has been conducting inspections across the state over the past several months. The team recently inspected a Sodexo production unit in Hyderabad. The officials went to the Central Production Unit of Sodexo India Services Pvt. Ltd. in the Kondapur area on April 2, 2025. They flagged multiple food safety violations discovered on the premises. In the raw material reception area, they observed a house fly infestation. They found 16 kilos of paneer packets on which the packing dates were "not visible." Hence, the officials ensured they were discarded.

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In the chiller room, the task force saw blood dripping from packed raw meat. They also noted that food items were kept on plastic trays on the floor of the cold storage. In the grinding area, the floor was wet due to food waste being littered across it. The officials added that flooring in the kitchen and grinding area was "patchy at some places." Food waste was also found clogging kitchen drains. The food safety team also uncovered other storage and hygiene issues, which could possibly lead to contamination. They found that some food articles were "kept uncovered in the kitchen below knee height." They also flagged the lack of enough space between the wall and storage racks, which would make proper cleaning of the area difficult.

Task force team has conducted inspections in Kondapur area on 02.04.2025.

𝗦𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘅𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝘃𝘁 𝗟𝘁𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁, 𝗛𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘂𝗿

* Flooring was found to be patchy at some places in the kitchen and… pic.twitter.com/MSNVnktZDX

— Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana (@cfs_telangana) April 2, 2025

The company issued a statement about the inspection, saying, "At Sodexo India, we remain unwavering in our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of food safety, health, and hygiene across our operations. The recent Food Safety Inspection conducted by the task force under the guidance of the Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana, provided valuable insights. We view this feedback as an opportunity to further collaborate with industry experts and enhance our already stringent Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) benchmarks. Ensuring consumer safety remains our utmost priority, with meticulous attention to every step of the food handling value chain. While we await the official post-audit report, we deeply appreciate the recognition received from the authorities for Sodexo's best practices in food safety. Our facility has been commended with a 93% compliance score based on the FSSAI safety audit checklist-a testament to our commitment to excellence. We remain dedicated to continuous improvement and will proactively address the identified areas for enhancement."

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Last month (March 2025), the task force undertook inspections of two dairy units in Telangana. The officials discovered several food safety concerns on both premises. Lack of documentation, unhygienic conditions, improper storage and structural issues were noted at these units. Click here to read more about the team's findings.

Apart from food and dairy units, the food safety task force has also inspected other types of establishments in the past. For instance, in November 2024, they visited two nutraceutical manufacturing units in IDA Mallapur in Hyderabad. Several violations were flagged. Read the complete article here.