Hyderabad: The FSSAI has announced that it has suspended the licenses of eight restaurants after finding various food safety and hygiene issues at different restaurants in the city during its major food safety check in Hyderabad. The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) also ordered the establishments to stop operations immediately.
Food safety experts and police officers Thursday visited 15 businesses in the city’s heart of operations, through eight teams. Officials picked 16 samples of food that they suspected was adulterated during the inspections, and they flagged expired food, infested or contaminated food, food storage problems, and unhygienic kitchen conditions.
In Raidurg, the officials are said to have found 1170 kg of expired rice along with 45 kg of noodles that have a missing label in Pakwan Grand Restaurant. Other factors reported were the presence of spoiled eggs and rodent infestation, as well as poorly maintained refrigerators.
Aroma Multicuisine Restaurant, Gachibowli was on the list of restaurants whose licence was to be suspended. Officials reportedly spotted cockroach infestation, rodent infestation, pest tainted food stuffs, expired food and cats on the premises. In addition, the food-handler and pest-control records were reportedly not kept.
The other restaurants that suspended their licence are Aditya Restaurant and Bar, Vaishnavi Darshini, Sri Krishna Family Dhaba Pure Veg and Godavari Ghumaghumalu (part of Babai Hotel) whose licences were suspended.
Officials at Godavari Ghumaghumalu reported presence of worm affected Brinjal and expired food and rodent infestation. In both cases food handlers were at Sri Krishna Family Dhaba and were reportedly chewing gutka while Vaishnavi Darshini has been cited for fungal contamination and poor storage.
Similarly, TG SAFE had sent a notice to the owner of ‘Lucky Restaurant’, Bachupally, for the restaurant to act on the notice as it is operating without an FSSAI licence and was observed as not being hygienic. Five establishments are receiving improvement notices and another is receiving a notice to show cause.