Delhi hotels, eateries face heat over food safety

FSSAI flagged non-compliance at Delhi’s JW Marriott & Andaz, while a cockroach at Big Chill Cakery added to growing food safety concerns

FSSAI recently issued notices to Aerocity’s JW Marriott and Andaz over hygiene and compliance lapses. Meanwhile, a video of a cockroach inside The Big Chill Cakery in Khan Market was circulated online. These have sparked fresh food safety concerns in the Capital.

These incidents have sparked fresh food safety concerns in the Capital (Photo: Adobe Stock)

At JW Marriott, inspectors flagged 59 non-compliance points across the hotel’s Indian, Chinese, Italian, and bakery kitchens. The team noted issues such as spoiled produce, uncovered food storage, unclean equipment, and floating particles in drinking water samples. The audit also highlighted pest sightings in certain kitchen sections and unauthorised re-labelling of retail food products under the hotel’s brand name. In response, representatives stated they are cooperating.

During the inspection at Andaz Delhi, officials disposed of approximately 87 kg of expired sweets, along with outdated cake bases and bread items. The report also pointed out improper storage practices, including re-labelling dates on packaged bakery items, and noted the presence of pests in utility areas. Concerns were also raised over kitchen sanitation and the shared handling of vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparation areas. Representatives from Andaz too said they were working to address the findings to ensure adherence to safety guidelines.

A video showing a cockroach crawling inside a display refrigerator near the brownies at The Big Chill Cakery in Khan Market, Delhi, has also drawn attention recently. Food vlogger Kenny (@giantgrubs) shared the video on Instagram on Tuesday after spotting the insect. It has since clocked over 177K views. He said he tried contacting the popular bakery privately to flag the hygiene concern but received no response before sharing the video. The incident comes shortly after a similar food safety controversy at PAUL in Gurugram, adding to growing concerns over hygiene standards at popular eateries.