- Food Safety Dept issued notices to three Bengaluru Indira Canteens for violations
- Gottigere canteen warehouse sealed for unhygienic food handling and storage conditions
- Samples of food items sent for lab testing to check quality and safety standards
The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has issued notices to operators of three Indira Canteens in Bengaluru—Gottigere, Lingarajapuram and Singasandra—after inspections uncovered multiple violations of food safety norms.
The warehouse at the Gottigere canteen was sealed over unhygienic food handling and storage conditions. Samples of food items, including pulses, cooking oil, turmeric powder, sugar and prepared food, were sent for laboratory testing.
The department has recommended legal action against all three operators under food safety laws.
This action comes after the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department inspections uncovered multiple violations of food safety norms, including improper labelling, misbranding and unhygienic food handling conditions.
The department said the warehouse attached to the Gottigere Indira Canteen was sealed after officials found unhygienic food handling and storage conditions during the inspection.
Officials in the health department in Bengaluru, said a special inspection team was constituted to assess the quality, safety, storage, labelling and food handling practices at the main kitchens and food preparation units of the Indira Canteens at Gottigere, Lingarajapuram and Singasandra.
The inspection team found several food safety violations at all three establishments.
These included non-compliant labelling, misbranding and unhygienic conditions in food handling and storage areas, besides other violations of requirements prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), according to the department.
Following the findings, notices were issued to the food business operators of all three Indira Canteen establishments.
The department has also recommended filing cases before the respective Adjudicating Officers for further legal action under the applicable food safety laws.
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As part of the inspection drive, officials also collected samples of several food products from the three establishments for laboratory testing. The samples included pulses, turmeric powder, cooking oil, jaggery, salt, sugar and other prepared food items.
The collected samples have been sent to a designated food laboratory for analysis to determine whether they meet prescribed quality and food safety standards, the Health Department said.
The laboratory findings will be examined as part of the further regulatory process, with action to be taken against food business operators found to be in violation of food safety regulations.
The department said it would continue conducting special inspection drives at food establishments to ensure compliance with food safety requirements and prevent the distribution of unsafe or unhygienic food.
The action comes amid heightened scrutiny of food preparation, storage and handling practices at establishments serving meals to the public.
The department said its inspections are aimed at ensuring that consumers are provided safe, wholesome, hygienic and quality food.
The Health Department reiterated that strict legal action would be taken against food business operators found violating the prescribed food safety regulations.
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