HYDERABAD: The tweets on the quality of food being served at several restaurants in Hyderabad are stomach-turning.Look at them: “Dead cockroaches were found in chicken biryani and the same was served to the customer at a hotel in Dilsukhnagar and the kitchen was in an unhygienic condition, requesting GHMC to initiate action against the hotelier”, tweeted a person a few days ago.
“A packet of prawn pulao bought from a restaurant in Banjara Hills had a cockroach in it. Sir please take up the issue and take action,’’ another tweeted. “Some persons who went to a famed hotel in AS Rao Nagar were served stale food,’’ tweeted another citizen.
‘The Food Safety Officer concerned inspected the premises and samples were lifted for analysis. Further action will follow based on the results’. This is the routine refrain that comes from the Assistant Food Controller GHMC. These are not isolated cases. In Greater Hyderabad limits, there are several restaurants, hotels, and other eateries which serve stale and contaminated food. Food adulteration has been reported not only in small hotels but also at the kiosks where food and drinks are sold on the roadside. This is due to a lack of monitoring by the Food Safety Officers.
Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi has expressed unhappiness over food adulteration, prevailing unhygienic conditions in the eating establishments, and lack of proper monitoring by the food safety officials. She is expected to conduct a review meeting this week to improve the situation.
Mobile lab
The GHMC, in collaboration with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), launched a mobile lab called Food Safety on Wheels in November last year. It was inaugurated by the Mayor. It is intended to run quality checks on food contamination on the spot. It is not known whether the vehicle is currently operational or not.