Bengaluru: Several high-end hotels in Bengaluru have come under the Food Safety and Drug Administration’s (FDA) scrutiny after officials detected a range of alleged food safety violations, including poor storage practices, fungal growth on vegetables and inadequate separation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items.
The FDA’s Food Safety Wing has initiated action against a number of three-star and five-star hotels following a special inspection campaign conducted across 26 properties in the city. The checks exposed several lapses linked to food handling, storage and labelling practices.
According to an FDA statement cited by news agency ANI, officials seized rotten meat, chicken and fish, along with expired bakery products, from some of the hotels inspected, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The inspections also revealed expired food items, improper labelling and misbranding of products, violations of FSSAI labelling norms, and unhygienic conditions in areas used for food preparation and storage.
Notices have since been issued to the concerned food business operators. The department said adjudication proceedings would be initiated before the designated Adjudicating Officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Samples Collected For Lab Tests
Officials collected a wide range of food samples during the inspection drive and sent them for analysis. The samples included 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.
The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department has deployed 30 special teams to carry out surprise inspections at hotels, restaurants and food outlets in Bengaluru and other major locations across the state.
The enforcement campaign was launched on the directions of Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader after the department received several complaints about food quality, hygiene and safety standards.
Properties Named In FDA Action
The FDA identified the following hotels in connection with the violations and seizures:
The Lalit Ashok (Annex South): Officials seized 32 litres of expired milk, along with 76 kg of meat and 200 kg of vegetables.
Shangri-La Bengaluru: Around 15 kg of meat was seized.
Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru: Officials confiscated 19 kg of meat.
Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield: Three kg of expired bakery products were seized.
Taj Yeshwantpur: The inspection team seized 72 kg of meat and fish.
The Radisson Blu (The Atrium): Officials recovered 105 kg of expired food items, including 50 kg of chicken, 25 kg of meat, 23 kg of fish and 7 kg of vegetables.
Complaints Put Hotels Under Scrutiny
The latest action comes amid mounting concerns over food safety in Karnataka. In recent months, several videos and social media posts have alleged unhygienic kitchen conditions, poor handling of ingredients and the use of artificial colours in popular dishes such as gobi manchurian, kebabs and other prepared foods.
The complaints have prompted the state food safety authorities to intensify inspections and enforcement measures at hotels, restaurants and other food establishments.
