Officials swoop on eateries in Old City, find food safety violations

Hyderabad: The Task Force of the Food Safety Department, Telangana, continues its efforts to ensure safe and hygienic eateries by raiding restaurants and mandi houses in Old City due to the pouring complaints regarding the unhygienic measures and food violations. During the raid, they found live cockroaches on the premises.

The food safety team’s raids at Hotel Fiza and Baker, Sukha Sagar Udipi Veg, and Shaheen Mandi, an Arabian restaurant, discovered various food safety violations, including cockroach infestations inside the kitchen premises.

At the popular Hotel Fiza and Baker in Bahadurpura, the team found the refrigerator in a highly unhygienic condition.

The food items stored inside the refrigerator were not covered or labelled properly. Moreover, the doors and windows were found open without proper insect-proof screens to prevent pest entry. The team also discovered suspected leftover food stored inside the refrigerator and food handlers found without hair caps and aprons.

At Sukha Sagar Udipi Veg in Bahadurpura, they witnessed a live cockroach infestation inside the storeroom.

Sewage water stagnation was noted near the washing area, and the drain was found open. Moreover, the false ceiling (PoP) inside the dining area was found to be damaged due to water seepage, prepared and semi-prepared food articles were found without proper labelling, and the food handlers were found without hair caps and aprons.

Shaheen Mandi was found running without medical fitness certificates and pest control records, and massive water stagnation was observed at the washing area. Synthetic food colours suspected of being used in non veg items were found and discarded, and left-over food found in the refrigerator was discarded on the spot. Additionally, food handlers were found without hair caps, apron, and gloves.