Rotten Food, Cockroaches Found During Inspection At 67 Telangana Food Outlets

Telangana's food safety authorities have intensified their crackdown on unsafe food practices, inspecting 67 establishments across the state in a special enforcement drive and suspending the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences of seven outlets for serious violations.Ten enforcement teams comprising Food Safety Officers and police personnel inspected 21 establishments in Banjara Hills and Lakdikapool on Thursday. A separate drive was also carried out at 46 food businesses across districts outside Hyderabad's core urban region.The inspections revealed several hygiene and food safety lapses, including cockroach, housefly and rodent infestations, spoiled and contaminated meat, rotten vegetables, fungal-affected food items, and expired products. Officials also found filthy kitchens, poor waste disposal practices, inadequate personal hygiene among food handlers, and unclean refrigerators.In several establishments, raw vegetarian and non-vegetarian food was not stored separately. Officials also flagged missing labels and poor record maintenance, raising concerns about storage practices, traceability and cross-contamination.Four establishments in Banjara Hills - Lakshmi Sri Balaji Sweets and Bakery, Girl Friend Mandi, Kholani's Fine Dine Restaurant, and Kakatiya Tiffins Meals and Snacks - are facing FSSAI licence suspension and were directed to stop operations immediately.Enforcement teams discarded spoiled, rotten and pest-infested food items found during the inspections. They also collected 35 samples suspected of adulteration for laboratory analysis, including 13 from Hyderabad and 22 from the districts.In Hyderabad, show-cause notices are being issued for further penalty action against establishments including Sarvi Food Court, Casa Laban, Dakini Sweet Treats and The Central Court. Improvement notices are being issued to other violators.Across the districts, 23 establishments are set to receive improvement notices and will undergo subsequent reinspection. Similar action has been initiated against Mahendra Meals, Biryani and Curry Point in Station Ghanpur, Sri Balaji Magic Mithai in Baopet, Karimnagar, and Cha Cha Family Dhaba at Tupranpet in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has warned that establishments failing to rectify violations during mandatory re-inspections could face stricter legal action. The agency has also urged consumers to check food freshness, storage conditions, labelling and FSSAI licensing before purchasing or consuming food.