Telangana's Commissioner of Food Safety visited MG Bus Station in Hyderabad's Imblibun area on September 10, 2024. The task force inspected several food outlets at the location and unearthed serious violations. Firstly, at Nandini Cafeteria, the officials found patchy flooring, water stagnation, open washroom doors, windows without insect-proof screens, 20 kilos of suspected contaminated lime pickle and unlabelled and uncovered food inside the refrigerator. The food handlers were not wearing aprons and hair caps. That's not all. The task force seized 50 kilos of toor dal and 50 kilos of packed coriander, as they "were found without proper labels, such as the date of packing and use-by dates." It was also observed that raw food materials such as flour and pulses were "stored directly on the floor, with no gap maintained between items and walls." Additionally, an iron stand kept above the area for rice preparation was discovered to be corroded and rusted. The FBO [Food Business Operator] had failed to maintain the requisite pest control records and medical fitness certificates. It had also not displayed a copy of its FSSAI license in a prominent place.
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At Yagnesh Virat Food Court, the officials discovered houseflies in the kitchen, overflowing dustbins without lids and unlabelled dishes in the fridge. They noted that the premises were "open to the external environment," and there were no insect-proof screens. Moreover, the necessary Medical fitness certificates and pest control records were not found at the establishment at the time of the inspection.
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The task force also inspected Stall No. 24 at MG bus station. They found out that the FBO was operating its business without an FSSAI license. Medical fitness and pest control records were unavailable. The kitchen premises were "found in a highly unhygienic condition," as per the officials. The dustbins were "overflowing with filth" and houseflies were hovering around them. Cobwebs were observed near the storage area. There were issues with the food too. The team discarded synthetic food colours that they discovered were being used in Chinese dishes. Additionally, cooked rice and flour were not stored properly, as they were not labelled and covered.
Next, the task force conducted inspections at Raghavendra Bakery and Fast Food. The FBO did not provide a copy of its FSSAI license at the time of inspection. Medical fitness certificates and pest control records were also not available. The team made note of broken tiles, greasy walls, live cockroach infestation in the kitchen, windows without insect-proof screens and food handlers without hair caps and aprons. Synthetic colours were being used in Chinese food and were thus discarded. The officials stated that the refrigerator was in an unhygienic condition. The food stored inside it did not have labels and covering. Other food items like rice and flour, stored outside, were kept directly on the floor.
The day before these inspections, the task force visited tiffin centres and hostels in Hyderabad's Ashok Nagar area. Wide-ranging food safety violations were unearthed at these establishments. Click here to read the complete story.