Expired food seized at Bengaluru’s Radisson Blu, Shangri-La, Taj Yeshwantpur during safety checks

Several prominent five-star hotels in Bengaluru have come under food safety scrutiny after officials seized expired food products, meat, fish, vegetables and other items during a special inspection drive across the city.

The Food Safety Wing of the Health and Family Welfare Department inspected 26 three-star and five-star hotels in Bengaluru Urban district on Friday, including establishments within the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits. Officials collected 35 food samples for laboratory analysis and found multiple violations of food safety norms.

Among the hotels where food articles were seized were The Lalit Ashok (Annex South), Shangri-La Bengaluru, Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield, Taj Yeshwantpur and The Radisson Blu (The Atria).

What was seized from the hotels?

At The Lalit Ashok (Annex South), officials seized 76 kg of meat and 200 kg of vegetables. They also seized 32 litres of expired milk, which was destroyed.

At Shangri-La Bengaluru, 15 kg of meat was seized, while Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru had 19 kg of meat seized during the inspection.

Officials also found expired bakery products at Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield, where 3 kg of such products were seized.

At Taj Yeshwantpur, officials seized 72 kg of meat and fish.

The largest quantity of expired food articles among the listed establishments was reported at The Radisson Blu (The Atria). Officials seized 105 kg of expired food articles there, including 50 kg of chicken, 25 kg of meat, 23 kg of fish and 7 kg of vegetables.

What did food safety officials find?

The inspections found several violations, including non-compliance with FSSAI labelling requirements, improper labelling and misbranding of food products, storage of expired food items, unhygienic food handling and storage conditions and fungal growth on vegetables.

Officials also found instances where vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items were not stored separately.

Among the major violations reported were unhygienic kitchen and food storage conditions, meat products that were not labelled in accordance with FSSAI requirements and expired dairy, bakery, meat and vegetable products.

The food samples collected for laboratory analysis included tea powder, chicken, mutton, fish, edible oil, chilli powder, turmeric powder, tomato sauce, lemon juice, cheese, papad, cashew nuts, ginger and milk.

26 hotels inspected, 35 samples collected

The special drive was carried out by 30 teams of Food Safety officials under the directives of Health Minister U T Khader.

The department said the inspections covered three-star and five-star hotels across Bengaluru Urban district to check compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.

Notices have been issued to the concerned Food Business Operators (FBOs). Adjudication proceedings before the Adjudicating Officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act will be initiated in cases where violations were detected.

The 35 food samples collected during the inspections have been sent to the Food Laboratory for analysis. Further action against the establishments will depend on the laboratory reports and the applicable provisions of the Act.

The Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration has also directed all Food Business Operators to strictly comply with food safety laws and regulations. Legal action will be initiated wherever violations are confirmed.

With agency inputs