Hyderabad police continue drive against food safety violations; six held
Hyderabad, July 19
Continuing its special drive against food safety violations, the Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team of the Commissioner's Task Force, in coordination with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Food Safety officers, apprehended six persons during raids on six food establishments.
H-FAST and GHMC Food Safety officers conducted a special enforcement drive across Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts to curb food adulteration and ensure compliance with food safety regulations.
During the drive, six food business establishments, including food manufacturing units, an ice cream unit, 'murukulu' manufacturing units, a bakery and a retail food establishment, were inspected. Six persons were apprehended and handed over to the concerned Food Safety officers for further action under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, H-FAST said in a release.
The inspections revealed several food safety violations, including unhygienic food preparation and storage, the use of reused cooking oil and artificial food colours, the sale of expired and misbranded food products, the absence of valid FSSAI licences, improper labelling, poor sanitation, pest infestation, inadequate food safety records, and improper storage practices.
According to H-FAST, reused cooking oil, artificial food colours and other unsafe food articles were seized, while food samples were collected for laboratory analysis. Notices were also issued directing the Food Business Operators to rectify the violations and comply with prescribed food safety standards.
The special drive was led by Inspectors of Police Sri N. Ranjith Kumar Goud and Sri M. Anjaiah of H-FAST, along with H-FAST personnel and GHMC Food Safety officers.
The Hyderabad City Police has advised the public to purchase food only from licensed, hygienic establishments; verify FSSAI licences and expiry dates before purchase; and report incidents of food adulteration or unhygienic food practices to the H-FAST Toll-Free Number 8712661212 for prompt action.
On July 17, H-FAST conducted a special enforcement drive against food safety violations at two fast-food centres in the Chandrayangutta area of Hyderabad. During the drive, officials seized approximately 20 litres of reused cooking oil, approximately 40 kg of fried chicken, approximately 40 kg of raw coloured chicken, and three boxes and six packets of artificial food colours.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is much needed. But sadly, these raids often target small shops while big restaurants get away. Need more transparency and equal enforcement across all establishments.
Reused cooking oil and artificial colours... this is so scary! We eat out thinking it's safe. Thank you H-FAST for protecting us. I'm sharing the toll-free number with my family. 📞
Good to see food safety being taken seriously in Hyderabad. In the US, we have FDA inspections regularly. This is a positive step towards ensuring public health. Hope other cities follow suit.
The problem is that even after fines, these shops reopen with new names. We need stricter punishments and public shaming through blacklists. Also, customers should check FSSAI licences more often.
Murukulu with artificial colours? That's just wrong. Our traditional snacks should be made cleanly. Police and GHMC are doing a good job, but awareness among small vendors is also important.
Impressive coordination between police and food safety officers. The 20 litres of reused oil and 40 kg of chicken seized shows how widespread the problem is. Keep up the good work! 🍗🚫
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