Expired meat, veggies with fungus: What officials found at 6 Bengaluru 5-star hotels

The inspections revealed several food safety violations, including the storage of expired food products and unhygienic food handling and storage conditions. The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) department destroyed more than 250 kg of meat, 207 kg of vegetables, 32 litres of milk, and three kg of bakery products from six of the top five-star hotels in Bengaluru on Friday after finding violations of food safety practices, including storage beyond expiry dates and inferior storage systems. The action comes close on the heels of a crackdown on the sale of junk food around schools and colleges in Bengaluru.According to the FSDA, 76 kg of meat, 200 kg of vegetables and 32 litres of expired milk were seized and destroyed at the Lalit Ashok (South Annexe); 15 kg of meat was seized at the Shangri La; 19 kg of meat at Four Seasons; three kg of expired bakery products at the Vivanta Whitefield; 72 kg of meat/fish at Taj Yeshwantpur and 50 kg of chicken, 25 kg of meat, 23 kg of fish, and seven kg of vegetables at the Radisson Blu hotel. The unsafe raw food was destroyed after the FSDA, under the guidance of Health Minister U T Khader, deployed 30 teams of food safety officers and inspected 26 three-star and five-star hotels in Bengaluru, according to the food safety commissioner’s office. “The inspections were carried out in all 3-star and 5-star hotels located within Bengaluru Urban District, including all zones under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), to verify compliance with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011,” the food safety authorities said in an official statement on Friday night. “The inspections revealed several food safety violations, including non-compliance with FSSAI labelling requirements, improper labelling and misbranding of food products, storage of expired food products, unhygienic food handling and storage conditions, fungal growth on vegetables, and failure to maintain separate storage for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items,” the food safety commissioner said. Chicken to cheese: Food samples collected Among the food samples collected for laboratory testing were tea powder, chicken, mutton, fish, edible oil, chilli powder, turmeric powder, tomato sauce, lemon juice, cheese, papad, cashew nuts, ginger, pepper powder, spice powder, and milk.Story continues below this ad The major violations found during the food safety inspection were “unhygienic conditions in kitchens and food storage areas, meat products not labelled in accordance with FSSAI requirements, storage of expired milk products, bakery products, chicken, fish, meat, and vegetables.” Further action against the defaulting establishments will be taken based on the laboratory analysis reports and the applicable provisions of the Act, the food safety commissioner said. Last week, the FSDA had issued an advisory to restrict the sale of food products high in fat, sugar, and salt around schools and colleges in the state. The advisory came after inspections of food business establishments located around 134 schools and colleges in Karnataka. The FSDA department is attached to the Karnataka health and family welfare ministry.