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Rat in Blinkit freezer, spoiled KFC chicken: Food safety norms flouted across India, regulators crack whip
Restaurant chains, including KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Starbucks and Monginis have also been inspected for food safety norm violations.
Food regulatory authorities across India have launched a massive crackdown on food safety violations with several chain restaurants and starred hotels being brought under the radar over quality concerns. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has cracked its whip on companies mislabeling their products, prohibiting a sale of such items.
In some of the latest incidents, a rat was found in the ice cream freezer at an outlet of quick commerce brand Blinkit in Thane, while a customer in Mangalore reported "foul smell" in chicken ordered from KFC.
A wide range of companies, including consumer goods company Dabur, alcohol brand Old Monk, quick commerce delivery platforms Zepto, Blinkit and Instamart are facing scrutiny. Restaurant chains, including KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Starbucks and Monginis have also been inspected for food safety norm violations.
Bollywood stars also faced the ire of the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which issued show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over an advertisement for a pan masala company.
Here's a look at the latest incidents of food safety violations in India:
Karnataka cracks down on food outlets
- A KFC outlet in Mangaluru faced a surprised raid on Saturday after a customer complained of receiving "spoiled", "foul-smelling" chicken from the store located in City Centre mall on KS Rao Road. The go-down of the KFC outlet was sealed after an inspection of kitchen, storeroom and cold storage. Food samples collected from the outlet were sent for testing.
- Large amount of expired meat was found from premium hotels in Mysuru on Saturday after the Food Safety Department carried out raid. As much as 9 kg of expired chicken was seized from 3-star Rio Meridian Hotel, 68 kg of meat from Grand Mercure Hotel, and 4 kg of mushrooms was recovered from 3-star Q Star Hotel.
- A warehouse operated by quick commerce firm Zepto came under the scanner last week in eastern Bengaluru’s Hoskote over alleged violations related to food labelling, handling and storage. The warehouse was sealed after a special inspection by the state’s food safety department.
- In Bengaluru, the FDA flagged multiple food safety violations at several luxury hotels, including unhygienic storage, fungal growth on vegetables and inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items.
- In raids conducted on 26 hotels in Bengaluru, including three-star and five-star hotels, the department's Food Safety Wing seized rotten meat, chicken, fish and expired bakery products.
Maharashtra FDA in action
- A Blinkit store in Maharashtra's Thane district came in the spotlight after a video showed rats running inside an ice cream freezer in Kalyan's Godrej Hill area.
- In Maharashtra, the FDA has conducted raids across 104 chain restaurant establishments under a special drive. Two establishments were ordered to stop business, 95 were served improvement notices, and licences of five establishments were suspended, the FDA said.
ALSO READ: FSSAI cracks down on misleading food and alcohol claims; Dabur Honey, Old Monk and more banned
- The food safety department in Maharashtra suspended licenses of pizza outlets, including a Pizza Hut store, which was selling several products without mentioning expiry dates on the packets. An outlet of Sapphire Foods India in Akola district of Vidarbha region faced action for using frozen paneer and substandard food items.
- In Nashik and Mumbai, the FDA suspended 11 food business licences after inspections revealed hygiene, storage, water, ventilation, equipment and pest-control violations. It issued 54 improvement notices after inspecting 120 establishments. Raids at 12 locations seized 5,343 kg of substandard dairy, oil and spices worth ₹9.81 lakh. Separate raids on banned products led to 15 arrests, nine establishments sealed and stock worth ₹25.96 lakh seized.
FSSAI action against mislabeled products
- India’s food regulatory authority has reportedly barred consumer goods company Dabur India from selling products like ghee, honey and products with unverifiable “100%” claims, and issued notices to multiple alcoholic beverage manufacturing brands over flavouring violations.
- On August 2, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) released a statement restricting the sale of select whisky and rum variants, including popular brands such as Old Monk, Royal Challenge, Antiquity Blue and Bagpiper, over alleged violations related to flavouring practices. The regulator said some companies were using flavours that replicate the drink’s own profile instead of relying on standard ageing processes and ingredients required to develop taste and aroma.
