Hyderabad: Broken eggs, food stored beside open drains, and a bakery-cum-Chinese outlet running without an FSSAI licence- a food safety raid in Saroornagar on Monday, July 27, turned up violations serious enough to trigger action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Food Safety Officers who conducted an inspection at Vennela Food Court, which included Vennela Bakers and a counter selling Chinese food, found ready-to-serve food being stored near drains and wrapped in newspapers but not labelled properly. Eggs with cracks were also being used to prepare food.
Personal hygiene was poor among food handlers, with the kitchen and wash area lying in an unhygienic condition. Additionally, there were no medical fitness and pest control documents present.
The Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana, said appropriate action has been initiated against the outlet and directed food business operators to maintain hygiene, obtain valid licences, and comply with food safety norms to safeguard public health.
The raid is the latest in a series of similar crackdowns across Hyderabad in recent weeks, with inspectors flagging expired stock, pest infestations and missing licences at outlets.
Food raids across Hyderabad
At Sweekar Hotel on Kachiguda X Roads, inspectors on July 26 found fungus-contaminated cabbage, citrus canker in lemons and rotten tomatoes. Boiled potatoes were used without proper cleaning, and prepared food was stored uncovered and unlabelled in refrigerators.
A raid on a manufacturing unit in Karmanghat led to the seizure of 110 kg of sev and 40 litres of cooking oil after officials found the unit operating under a retailer registration despite manufacturing goods. Inspectors also flagged suspected use of synthetic food colours, repeated use of cooking oil, and poor sanitation at the premises.
In Uppal, the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation fined MasterChef Restaurant Rs 25,000 after finding houseflies and cockroaches infesting the storage and dining areas, food handlers not following personal hygiene practices, and uncovered dustbins.
The Telangana food safety department has said it carried out 4,366 inspections and collected over 3,300 food samples from restaurants, cafes and sweet shops since March, with common violations including improper labelling, unsafe consumption practices, and food handlers lacking medical certificates.
Officials have said the department’s approach is corrective rather than punitive in most cases, issuing improvement notices before pursuing adjudication or prosecution for repeat or serious offenders.
