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Luxury hotels, eateries raided in city over food safety issues
As part of a three-day food safety inspection drive that covered 60 five star and three star hotels and major fast food outlets across the city from August 7 to 10, over 70 food samples were sent for laboratory analysis and a kitchen at a prominent lounge bar was sealed after rotten meat and expired dairy products were found among the ingredient stock, food safety officials said on Monday
As part of a three-day food safety inspection drive that covered 60 five star and three star hotels and major fast food outlets across the city from August 7 to 10, over 70 food samples were sent for laboratory analysis and a kitchen at a prominent lounge bar was sealed after rotten meat and expired dairy products were found among the ingredient stock, food safety officials said on Monday.
A kitchen at Skyye Lounge in UB City was sealed after officials found 45 kg of rotten chicken and beef covered in fungus. Officials also found 6 kg of vegetable cutlets and 15 litres of used cooking oil. Milk and curd that had expired about 10 days earlier were also found and discarded.
The samples sent for laboratory analysis included chicken, meat, fish, bread, mayonnaise, cooking oil, curd, pulses, coriander, chutneys and marinated food products.
At a McDonald’s outlet on Brigade Road, officials found Magnesium Sulfite (MgSO₃) being used to purify used frying oil. “A notice has been issued to the concerned food business operator,” said the Food Safety and Drug Administration.
The department said the inspections found violations including non compliant labelling, misbranding, storage of expired food, improper storage of meat, fish and poultry, unhygienic food handling conditions, fungal growth in vegetables and inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non vegetarian food. The drive resulted in the seizure of 640 kg of mutton, chicken and fish, 276 kg of rotten or mould affected vegetables, 45 litres of expired milk and curd, 67 kg of cereals and other food products, 12 kg of bakery products and 49 litres of used cooking oil.
Officials said some products were also found to have shelf life declarations of up to two years despite applicable requirements providing for a one year shelf life. Imported products that had subsequently been repacked were also found. Other violations included deficiencies in fish labelling, unhygienic conditions in food preparation and storage areas, improper segregation of vegetarian and non vegetarian food.
At Royal Chain Hotel, officials disposed of 50 kg of duck meat and 5 kg of fish. Madras Kitchen had 5 kg of expired green peas, while Tescon Hotel had 5 kg of mushrooms deemed unfit. At Senchez Hotel, 3 kg of fish was seized and 7 kg of cooked food, including cake, potatoes and tacos, was discarded.
The department’s itemised figures for the five establishments total 126 kg, against its overall tally of 132 kg for the latest operation.
The August 7 inspections also found violations at several prominent hotels. Officials seized 76 kg of meat, 200 kg of vegetables and 32 litres of expired milk at LaLiT Ashok’s South Annexe; 15 kg of meat at Shangri La; 19 kg at Four Seasons; 3 kg of expired bakery products at Vivanta Whitefield; 72 kg of meat and fish at Taj Yeshwantpur; and 50 kg of chicken, 25 kg of meat, 23 kg of fish and 7 kg of vegetables at Radisson Blu Hotel.
State health Minister U T Khader said the inspections were not specifically aimed at luxury hotels. “We have not targeted any specific luxury hotels and carried out the raid. This action has been taken with the aim of maintaining cleanliness from the grassroots level everywhere,” he said.
“Whether it is a roadside hotel or a five star hotel, cleanliness in the food served to the customers is mandatory. There were no specific complaints about the cleanliness of five star hotels. But these sudden raids have been carried out in view of public health and hygiene,” Khader said.
LaLiT Ashok Bengaluru disputed aspects of the findings, saying the meat and frozen food products were frozen and “were not found to be spoiled or unfit for consumption”. It said the milk was one day beyond its “Best Before” date, had already been identified for withdrawal and was not intended to be served to guests.
“We are fully cooperating with the authorities and have already reviewed and reinforced our food storage, inventory management and product-date monitoring processes in line with the observations made during the inspection,” the hotel said.
