Food Safety Raids Expose Unhygienic Practices in Popular Hyderabad Restaurants
The Food Safety Department of Telangana has intensified its crackdown on unhygienic practices in restaurants across Hyderabad. During recent raids in Secunderabad, serious food safety violations were uncovered at several well-known eateries.
The Task Force inspected three restaurants—Golden Dragon on Parklane, Sarvi on MG Road, and Chili’s at Paradise Circle in Begumpet. At Chili’s restaurant, live cockroaches were discovered in the kitchen. Expired food items were also found and discarded immediately. The team observed that food in the refrigerators was not labeled, and both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items were stored together. Food handlers were found working without proper hygiene measures like wearing gloves or hair caps. Additionally, the kitchen floor was patchy, food waste was scattered, and drains were clogged with waste.
At Golden Dragon, the findings were equally alarming. The officers seized eight kilograms of expired raw chicken, two kilograms of expired boneless leg pieces, and 32 kilograms of unlabelled noodle packs. Synthetic food colors, suspected of being used in prepared dishes, were also confiscated and discarded. The kitchen was found to be unhygienic, with slippery floors and clogged drains. Food handlers did not wear aprons, gloves, or hair caps, and windows lacked insect-proof screens. The refrigerators were dirty, unlabelled food items were stored inside, and vegetarian and non-vegetarian items were mixed.
Sarvi restaurant was no exception. Rusted containers were being used to prepare cakes, and food items like cashew biscuits and Osmania biscuits were unlabelled, with no manufacturing or expiry dates mentioned. The restaurant failed to provide water quality reports, employee health records, or FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification) certificates for its staff. The kitchen floor was found to be dirty, and refrigerators were unhygienic, with lids that had rusted. Vegetables were stored in unhygienic plastic trays, and the kitchen drains were clogged. Similar to the other restaurants, food handlers were not wearing proper hygiene gear like aprons, gloves, or hair caps.
In addition to these inspections, the task force also conducted raids on Wednesday at Mubarak Arabian Mandi in Kachiguda and Mehfil Biryani Darbar in Narayanguda. Details of these raids have yet to be disclosed.
The Food Safety Department has urged restaurants to strictly adhere to hygiene and safety regulations to ensure the health and well-being of customers.
