Finding quality food becomes a challenge for Hyderabadis. Officials of the Food Safety Department of Telangana have been actively inspecting restaurants in various parts of Hyderabad recently and found a lot of discrepancies and scams happening in the kitchens of these hotels and restaurants.
On May 23, 2024, officials targeted the Madhapur area and conducted a raid on an outlet of the well-known Bengaluru-based brand, The Rameshwaram Cafe.
During the inspection, they discovered numerous expired and mislabelled food items. This included 100 kilos of urad dal that had expired in March 2024, along with 10 kilos of expired curds and 8 litres of expired milk.
These were not the only issues found at The Rameshwaram Cafe. The food safety team also seized 450 kilos of raw rice and 20 kilos of white lobia due to improper labelling. The total value of these items was estimated at ₹26,000. Additionally, 300 kilos of unlabelled jaggery worth ₹30,000 were confiscated.
And two days ago, the officials visited the most famous Shadab Restaurant and Nimrah Cafe in the Old City. The food safety team found several mislabeled products, including Eagle brand cutting eggplant (packaged), dried rose petals (packaged), cardamom and jeera, expiration dates in all interiors and batch number information not suitable for labelling certain semi-prepared and raw foods including refrigerated storage; and they found them uncovered.
This inspection is part of a broader effort by state authorities to ensure food safety across Hyderabad. The task force has been visiting various food establishments, discovering similar violations. The inspections revealed that several prominent restaurants were not adhering to food safety guidelines.
These included Labonel Fine Baking, Baskin Robbins Banjara Hills, Kritunga – The Palegar's Cuisine, KFC (Yum Restaurant India Pvt. Ltd.), Master Chef Restaurant, Hotel Sai Brundavan Pure Veg, Rayalaseema Ruchulu, Shah Ghouse, Kamat Hotel, Hotel Sukha Sagara Veg Restaurant, Ratnadeep Retail Store, Jumbo King Burgers, KFC, 36 Downtown Brew Pub, Makau Kitchen and Bar, Naturals Ice Cream, Clove Vegetarian Fine Dine, Creamstone Outlet, Bilal Ice Cream, Karachi Bakery, Firefly Restaurant, and Taco Bell.
The Food Safety Department has been using social media to report its findings, including which establishments are failing to meet safety standards. The inspections have revealed a range of violations, from using expired ingredients to poor hygiene practices such as preparing food without gloves or hair caps, not having medical fitness certificates, using open dustbins, and employing synthetic food colours. In some cases, they found maida infested with black beetles and food being prepared near open drains.
In contrast, the FBO's inspection of Manam Chocolate Karkhana found it to be complying with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations.
Hyderabad is home to hundreds of restaurants, many of which are particularly busy on weekends. The recent findings suggest that patrons should be more cautious about where they dine, ensuring that the food they consume is safe and hygienic.
