look news india
A big question mark has been raised on the quality and hygiene of the food available in the kitchens of luxurious and famous five-star hotels of Delhi. When special investigation teams of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted surprise raids in the kitchens, cold storage and food handling areas of major luxury hotels in the national capital, the scenes that emerged shocked even the officials.
Hygiene rules were being openly flouted in the kitchens located behind the glittering lobbies and expensive dining rooms. FSSAI has issued a strict show cause notice to the concerned hotel management after serious negligence found in the investigation.
Cockroaches found crawling in the kitchen, expired sweets and rotten fruits recovered.
During the FSSAI inspection, dozens of lapses were revealed in the food preparation and storage areas of the famous ‘Andaz Delhi’ and ‘JW Marriott’ located at Aerocity:
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Hundreds of kilos of expired food: About 87 kg of expired sweets and expired cake base and bread packets were found in the confectionery section of Andaz Delhi, which were destroyed on the spot.
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Fungus tomatoes and rotten apples: Several baskets containing moldy fruits, rotten apples and spoiled tomatoes were found in the storage area, which were reportedly being used by the chef.
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Cockroaches and flies near the freezer: Active cockroaches, flies and webs were found around the freezer and grinding room of the bakery and Indian cuisine section, directly indicating severe pest infestation.
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Heavy manipulation in labeling: During investigation, juice was found in a container with prawns written on it and non-veg items were found in a container with juice written on it. Duplicate date marking on expired bread packaging also came to light.
Dangerous mix-up of veg and non-veg: playing with religious sentiments and purity
The most shocking revelation in the investigation report was regarding food segregation (rules for keeping vegetarian and non-vegetarian food separate):
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The cutting boards used for cutting vegetarian and non-vegetarian food were kept immersed in the same vessel of water.
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In the in-room dining kitchen, non-veg food was being cooked only on the veg burner, creating a direct risk of cross-contamination.
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Due to chiller rooms located right between the toilets and poor ventilation, serious conditions were observed in the kitchen due to bad smell and bacteria growth.
Staff was cooking food with wounds, more than 59 serious defects registered
A total of more than 59 technical and hygiene deficiencies were recorded during the inspection at JW Marriott. Apart from food handlers touching food without hairnets and gloves, an employee was found cooking food despite having an open wound on his hand, which is in direct violation of food safety rules.
Apart from this, leakages in drainage, lack of proper monitoring of refrigerator temperature and deficiencies found in checking FSSAI license of vendors have also been taken on record.
FSSAI sends samples to lab for testing, warns of license cancellation
During the inspection, the Food Regulator has seized several surveillance and regulatory samples of desi ghee, veg mayonnaise, coconut milk powder, pulses, sauces and cookies and sent them to the National Food Laboratory for testing.
Hotel operators have been instructed to remove all the deficiencies within the stipulated time and submit a detailed compliance report. Officials have clarified that if satisfactory improvement is not made within the stipulated period or the food is found unsafe in lab tests, the food business license will be suspended or canceled along with strict legal action.
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