Rotten Food, Pests: Notices To Delhi's JW Marriott, Andaz Hotels That'll Host BRICS Forum Guests

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on Wednesday that it has issued notices to two hotels in New Delhi's Aerocity, Andaz Delhi and JW Marriott, after inspections at the five-star properties uncovered what the regulator described as serious food safety violations. These included seizure of 87 kg of sweets that were past their expiry date at Andaz, and pest infestations at the JW Marriott property.

These two hotels are listed among host or stay venues for the official BRICS Business Forum website. This forum is the flagship private sector platform of the BRICS grouping, convened annually in the summit host country on the eve of the Leaders' Summit. India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.

Regulatory and surveillance samples were collected during the inspections, the authority said in communication via its official social media handles. It added that further action would follow based on the hotel's compliance and the analysis of those samples. The regulator did not specify the dates on which the inspections were carried out.

At Andaz Delhi by Hyatt (operated by a firm named Juniper Hotels), around 87 kg of expired sweets were found in the confectionery area and destroyed on the spot, the FSSAI said. Bread packets bearing expired stickers were also recovered, and expired cake bases, flies and cockroaches were found in the pastry section, it added. Deficiencies were recorded in the segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in the kitchen, with cutting boards used for both categories kept in the same water container, it further said.

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The FSSAI also shared details of an inspection at JW Marriott in Aerocity (operated under Aria Hotels and Consultancy Services), in which the hotel was found conducting retail operations under the JW Marriott brand without the necessary licence.

Pre-packaged items lacked mandatory manufacturer addresses or displayed misprinted licence numbers on items, including paneer, khoya and chana masala. The primary FSSAI license was also not displayed prominently on the premises, the authority added

Hygiene and sanitation standards were severely compromised across the property, it added. Officials documented active infestations of cockroaches and fruit flies, dirty food-contact surfaces, and unwashed kitchen utensils.

Drinking water supplies contained visible particulate matter, highlighting inadequate pest control protocols and poor general maintenance of the food prep areas, it further said.

The inspection also highlighted hazards such as spoiled ingredients, including fungal-affected apples and rotten tomatoes. Food was routinely left uncovered or stored in damaged containers; staff also failed to properly segregate vegetarian and non-vegetarian products, mismanaged storage temperatures, and neglected required food identification labels, creating substantial cross-contamination risks, as per the inspection.