Food safety officials flag hygiene violations at Hyderabad’s Nagole restraurants

Telangana's food safety task force uncovers hygiene violations at Nagole restaurants, including expired food items and lack of documentation.

The task force teams of Telangana’s Commissioner of Food Safety conducted inspections at restaurants in the Nagole area, Hyderabad, on Wednesday (November 13, 2024) and uncovered multiple hygiene violations.

At Dasara Restaurant, inspectors found expired food items, including mutton lamb chops, which were discarded. Spices, such as peri-peri sprinkler, Minar spice mace, black salt, turmeric powder, chaat masala, and Schezwan sauce, were also past their expiry dates and discarded. The inspectors found the absence of pest control records, medical fitness certificates for food handlers, and water analysis reports. The restaurant’s doors and windows were not fitted with insect-proof screens, and water stagnation was observed in drains. Dustbins were found open without proper lids, and food items in the refrigerator were neither labelled nor stored according to the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) method. The temperature records for refrigerators were not maintained, and some food handlers were observed working without hair caps, as per a release.

At Navarasa Restaurant, inspectors noted a lack of medical fitness certificates for food handlers and water analysis reports for RO water used in food preparation. Some food items were stored in refrigerators with labels, but without use-by dates. Additionally, 25 litres of milk packets were found to be beyond their use-by date.

At Samrat Restaurant and Bar, the teams noted FSSAI licence not displayed and expired food items including bread, buns, and crispy cajun breeding mix was discarded on-site. The team also found synthetic food colours, suspected of being used in non-vegetarian dishes, which were immediately removed. A live cockroach infestation was found in the store room, and medical fitness certificates and water analysis reports were missing. The kitchen premises were not equipped with insect-proof screens, and food items were not covered or labelled. Temperature records for refrigerators were also absent, the release stated.