BENGALURU: Chairman’s Club in Sahakaranagar was closed and sealed on Thursday after food safety wing officials found 40 kg of expired chilli, improperly labelled food products, unhygienic food preparation and storage areas, and unauthorised artificial colours during an inspection.
Meanwhile, officials on Friday inspected 64 paying guest (PG) accommodations across Bengaluru City and Bengaluru Rural over food quality and hygiene complaints.
According to a press release, the inspection at Chairman’s Club was conducted by the Food Safety Wing of the Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration on Thursday. The officials found 5 kg of breadcrumbs and 2 kg of sajeera food products that were not labelled as per FSSAI regulations. They also found that the kitchen and food storage areas were being maintained in highly unhygienic conditions.
The inspection team found the use or storage of unauthorised or prohibited artificial colours in food products and the required food safety measures for the storage and handling of food were not being followed. The officials found the storage of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food products together, which is a food safety concern. The expired food products found during the inspection were seized.
In view of the serious violations relating to food safety and hygiene, officials closed and sealed the club kitchen and initiated further legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Rules, 2011.
Notices issued to 23 PGs
Following widespread complaints from the public about poor-quality food and unhygienic conditions in PGs, the food safety officials inspected 64 paying guest (PG) accommodations across Bengaluru City and Bengaluru Rural on Friday. Officials issued notices to 23 PGs for violations of food safety regulations and poor hygiene.
They also collected 12 food samples and sent them for laboratory analysis to assess their quality and compliance with food safety standards.
Officials found several expired and misbranded food products being used in some PGs, including expired curd, Swastik Bisibele Bath Powder, rice flour, synthetic food colour, black pepper and misbranded mixture. The food articles were seized.
At Nandana Elite PG in Bommasandra, officials found bed-bug powder kept on a dining table alongside food articles. Unused and non-food-related materials were also found stored near an area meant for drinking water, along with other unhygienic conditions. The dining area was subsequently sealed.
During the inspections, officials examined several aspects of food safety, including food preparation and storage methods, shelf life and use-by periods, kitchen hygiene, the quality of food articles, storage of raw materials and labelling of food products.
