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New Delhi: Food safety regulator FSSAI has issued notices to JW Marriott and Andaz Delhi, two five-star hotels in the capital’s Aerocity, after inspections found serious hygiene and food-safety violations, including cockroach infestations, expired food, poor sanitation and improper food storage.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Wednesday, August 26, said it has issued notices to JW Marriott, operated by Aria Hotels and Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd, and Andaz Delhi, operated by Juniper Hotels Pvt Ltd, following inspections that uncovered multiple violations.
At JW Marriott, inspectors found cockroaches and fruit flies, spoilt and fungus-affected food, dirty utensils and food-contact surfaces, improper food storage, and risks of cross-contamination.
FSSAI also flagged inadequate pest control and poor maintenance across several kitchen and food-preparation areas.
The regulator said apples showed fungal growth and tomatoes were rotten, while cut vegetables and other food products were improperly stored. It also found inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, poor allergen management and non-operational exhaust systems in some kitchens.
Other violations at JW Marriott included deficiencies in licensing, labelling, temperature control, sanitation, traceability and potable-water management.
FSSAI said certain products, including paneer, khoya, chana masala, and chilli, lacked the requisite licence or endorsement for verification.
Responding to the development, JW Marriott said, “We are committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our guests, and the hotel maintains rigorous food safety, hygiene, and quality standards. The hotel is extending its full cooperation to local authorities as the matter is reviewed and will take any necessary action based on the findings.”
At Andaz Delhi, inspectors found active cockroaches near freezers, houseflies, mosquitoes in a grinding room and spider webs. A packet of gutka was also found inside the bottling plant area, the regulator said.
The inspection also uncovered about 87 kilograms of expired sweets, along with an expired cake base and bread packets.
FSSAI said inspectors found duplicate date-marking on expired bread packaging, inadequate temperature monitoring, improper allergen segregation and poor waste management.
The regulator also flagged severe odours and chillers located directly between two bathrooms, with exhaust venting into the chiller section.
The regulator collected regulatory and surveillance samples from both hotels, including ghee, mayonnaise, coconut milk powder, honey, lentils, tomato sauce, marmalade and cookies. Further action will be based on laboratory test results.
It has directed the hotels to take immediate corrective measures and submit compliance reports with supporting evidence.
“At Andaz Delhi Aerocity, the health, safety and hygiene of our guests are, and will always remain, our highest priority. A food safety inspection was carried out at the property by officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on 22nd June 2026. We have fully cooperated with the inspection, furnished all information and details sought, and have submitted a detailed action taken report,” an Andaz Delhi spokesperson said.
“We take these matters with the utmost seriousness and… remain committed to working closely with the regulatory authorities and to upholding the trust and confidence our guests place in us,” the spokesperson added.
During the inspection at JW Marriott, FSSAI officials found “serious hygiene and sanitation deficiencies, including unclean utensils and food-contact surfaces, visible particulate matter in drinking water, inadequate pest control, cockroaches and fruit flies, and poor maintenance of food premises”.
The regulator found spoilt/fungal-affected food in the hotel. It also observed improper food storage and cross-contamination risks.
“These included fungal growth on apples, rotten tomatoes, uncovered food, damaged storage containers, inadequate vegetarian/non-vegetarian segregation, improperly stored cut vegetables and food products not maintained as per prescribed storage conditions,” the FSSAI said.
Moreover, it pointed out that various kitchens and food preparation areas, including the Chinese, Indian, Italian and bakery kitchens, showed deficiencies such as pest infestation, non-operational exhaust systems, poor sanitation, inadequate allergen segregation, defective storage containers, improper food identification and inappropriate storage of food products.
Deficiencies were also observed in the water bottling area, dry store, coffee shop and vegetable preparation area, including rusting of the drinking-water storage tank, deficiencies in imported-food labelling, poor sanitation and fruit-fly infestation.
“The overall inspection revealed deficiencies relating to licensing/KOB compliance, labelling, food storage, temperature control, sanitation, pest control, personal hygiene, cross-contamination prevention, allergen management, traceability, maintenance and potable water,” the regulator said.
Elaborating on the violation, the regulator said that certain food products/materials, including paneer, khoya, chana masala and chilli, were found without the requisite licence/appropriate endorsement available for verification.
Apart from that, the hotel company was found carrying out retail and re-labelling activities without the requisite endorsement in its FSSAI licence, including retailing food products under the JW Marriott brand name.
“Labelling deficiencies were observed in pre-packaged food products, including misprinted FSSAI licence numbers and non-declaration of the complete manufacturer’s address,” the regulator said.
The FSSAI licence was also not displayed at a prominent place on the premises.
During inspection at Andaz Hotel, FSSAI said, “Several serious food safety and hygiene deficiencies were observed, including improper segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, pest activity, poor sanitation, inadequate food handler hygiene and improper food storage practices.”
Other deficiencies included inadequate temperature monitoring, improper allergen segregation, poor waste management, structural and maintenance issues, and inadequate supplier verification and receiving practices.
The FSSAI’s inspection team collected regulatory and surveillance samples, including cow ghee, veg mayonnaise, creamy coconut milk powder, honey twigs, yellow masoor dal, tomato sauce, orange marmalade and coconut cookies, for analysis.
Elaborating further, FSSAI said that inspection revealed active cockroaches near freezers, houseflies, mosquitoes in the grinding room, spider webs, and the discovery of a ‘gutka’ packet inside the bottling plant area.
The FSSAI officials also observed duplicate date-marking applied over expired bread packaging, alongside severe unpleasant odours and chillers situated directly between two bathrooms with exhaust venting into the chiller section.
The regulator has asked the hotel company to take immediate corrective actions with respect to the non-compliances observed and submit a compliance report at the earliest along with supporting evidence.
In the past few months, FSSAI has cracked down against food business operators as well as e-commerce platforms for misleading claims, labelling and advertisements.
This post was last modified on August 26, 2026 10:35 pm