When you go to a restaurant or buy food from a store, you assume it's safe to eat, right? But if the people handling your food aren't following proper hygiene practices, you could end up with a nasty case of food poisoning. On Friday, September 13, food safety officials conducted raids and inspections at several eateries in the Vidyanagar area of Secunderabad and found multiple food safety violations. The inspections, carried out by the Task Force teams of Telangana's Commissioner of Food Safety, revealed alarming lapses in food safety and handling practices at several eateries, including Emerald Mithai Shop, Subway, Rollzone and Good Fresh - The Pizza House, in Hyderabad.
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At Emerald Mithai Shop, inspectors found no pest control and medical fitness certificates. Plus, no FOSTAC-trained personnel were present, and the wood-pressed oil manufacturing area door was left outside without insect-proof screens. The shop also had unlabelled sweets and savouries on display and open dustbins without lids were seen. Some items sold at the shop did not have FSSAI certificates, and food handlers were not wearing gloves or aprons.
Subway was also found to be violating hygiene norms. Semi-prepared ingredients and ready-to-cook food items were not properly labelled, and use-by dates were missing. The gap between storage racks and walls was not maintained, leading to pest infection risks. Moreover, the fast-food chain outlet did not have a FOSTAC-trained supervisor.
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Similar violations were found at Rollzone and Good Fresh - The Pizza House. Rollzone did not display its FSSAI licence, and food items stored in the refrigerator lacked labels. Food handlers were also not wearing necessary protective gear such as head caps, aprons, or gloves. At Good Fresh, the FSSAI registration copy was not displayed on the premises, and medical fitness and pest control records were missing.
Earlier, the FSSAI shared some food safety tips to follow during the monsoon season:
- Wash all food products purchased from the market properly before cooking.
- Keep yourself and your surroundings clean, and wash your hands with soap and water before cooking and eating.
- Use only clean water for cooking.
- Eat freshly cooked food and cook only as much as you need.
- Refrigerate leftover food as soon as it cools down to avoid microbial growth.
- Heat leftover food properly before consuming it.
- Keep perishables like milk and curd in the refrigerator immediately.
- Use fresh and local food products.
- Include immunity-boosting ingredients like pepper, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander, and turmeric in your diet. Read more here.