Complaint system, special storage rooms: Karnataka tightens hotel food safety rules

The Karnataka government on Friday held a high-level meeting with office-bearers of the Karnataka State Hotels Association and leading hotel owners to discuss steps to protect public health and maintain food safety and hygiene across the state, officials said. The meeting followed a month of intensive inspections at hotels and restaurants in which food safety officials found several deficiencies and violations.The meeting, chaired by Health and Family Welfare and Food Safety and Drug Administration Minister UT Khader, focused on hygiene standards, food quality and staff training.Industry representatives also asked for the existing QR code-based complaint system to be expanded so that customers could rate hotel hygiene and food quality as Good, Average or Poor, a proposal the minister said would be examined.According to a health department statement, Khader told hotel and restaurant management to give top priority to food hygiene and quality, noting that millions of people depend on food from hotels and restaurants every day. He said strict hygiene and food safety measures must be followed at all levels, from star hotels to small eateries, and that hotel management should not function only with the objective of making profits but must also show social responsibility and concern for public health.The minister instructed hotels and restaurants to have scientifically designed storage rooms for the safe storage of food items. He also advised hotels to consider installing CCTV cameras in their kitchens to increase transparency and strengthen customer trust. Kitchens, he said, must be transparent, clean and hygienic. Khader further directed that every food ingredient and product used must clearly carry the manufacturing date and expiry date. He said the use of certain chemical substances in food preparation could lead to health problems, including heart-related ailments, intestinal disorders and blood pressure-related issues.Therefore, he said, all ingredients and materials used in food preparation must be of high quality, while the use of harmful or unnecessary chemicals should be restricted and closely monitored.Hotels were also instructed to provide proper training to their staff on food safety and hygiene, including the dos and don'ts to be followed while handling food. Officials said members of the public and hotel owners could directly approach the concerned authorities or the department if they come across adulteration or poor-quality materials in food ingredients or raw materials.Khader said the government was committed to hearing the concerns of the hotel industry and providing necessary guidance, but there would be no compromise on cleanliness, hygiene and food quality.In a statement, Bengaluru Hoteliers Association President PC Rao said, "We had a good interactive meeting with Health Minister UT Khadar and FDA Commissioner Srinivas K regarding the current inspections of hotels. Our grievances were heard and assured positive response".He added that training for hoteliers on FSSAI regulations for hotel owners would be held soon. Overall, the meeting centred on tightening food safety standards across Karnataka while taking up concerns raised by the hotel industry.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 28, 2026 22:01 IST