A surprise food-safety inspection drive across Bengaluru's luxury hotels has raised serious concerns after officials found expired milk, rotten meat, fungal growth on vegetables and other food-safety violations at several establishments.
The inspections were carried out by the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of a special drive targeting premium hospitality establishments across the city. Officials inspected 26 three-star and five-star hotels during the operation.
The findings included expired dairy and bakery products, chicken, fish, meat and vegetables that were either expired, improperly stored or affected by fungal growth.
Officials also detected cases where vegetarian and non-vegetarian food products were not stored separately, along with unhygienic conditions in kitchens and food-storage areas. Violations of food labelling requirements were also reported.
In one of the reported cases, officials at The Lalit Ashok (Annex South) seized and destroyed around 76 kg of meat, 200 kg of vegetables and 32 litres of expired milk.
At Shangri-La, around 15 kg of meat was seized, while officials at Four Seasons Hotel confiscated 19 kg of meat.
At Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield, around 3 kg of expired bakery products were destroyed.
Officials also reported a seizure of around 72 kg of meat and fish at Taj Yeshwantpur.
At Radisson Blu (The Atria), authorities reportedly seized and destroyed around 105 kg of expired food articles, including chicken, meat and fish.
The inspection drive also found food-storage and kitchen hygiene problems at some establishments, prompting authorities to issue notices to food business operators.
A total of 35 food samples were collected during the drive and sent for laboratory analysis. The testing process will help authorities determine whether the sampled products comply with applicable food-safety standards.
The action comes amid continuing concerns over food safety in restaurants and hotels, where proper storage temperatures, expiry-date monitoring, segregation of food products and kitchen hygiene are essential to preventing contamination.
The Bengaluru inspections are particularly significant because the establishments targeted included high-end hotels serving large numbers of domestic and international guests.
