BENGALURU: The Devanahalli branch of the popular fast-food chain KFC has had its licence suspended following an inspection by the state health department officials. The officials found that the outlet was using chemicals to purify used cooking oil.
As part of a special drive, officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had collected samples of various items sold at KFC, including fried chicken, for analysis. The test results revealed the presence of 'synthetic magnesium silicate', a chemical not approved for use in food preparation except in certain conditions.
An official from the department said synthetic magnesium silicate is used in industrial applications such as ceramics, rubber, and paint, and as an anti-caking agent in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. During the inspection, the department also found unhygienic conditions at the KFC Devanahalli branch.
The restaurant also admitted to reusing the cooking oil multiple times to fry various items.
Following the inspection on August 3, the department suspended the branch's licence temporarily, following which it had suspended its operations until August 14, when it opened after the authority's clearance.
KFC had appealed to FSSAI, pointing out that it had not been issued the improvement notice as per norms before its licence was suspended. It also pointed out that Madras High Court had stayed a its licence suspension in a similar case at an outlet in Tamil Nadu earlier.
The drive was initiated after Health Commissioner Randeep D received a tip-off and directed Karnataka FSSAI Commissioner Srinivas K to carry out an inspection.