Hyderabad: Rusty iron knives, rice flour infested with insects, rotten tomatoes, rat feces and the toilet was found to be opening directly into the kitchen, besides heavy cockroach infestation were found at three popular restaurants in the city.
These unhygienic conditions were found at Taaza kitchen and Amogha hotel and café, both in Ameerpet and 4 Seasons multi-cuisine restaurant in Tolichowki during raids carried out by Telangana food safety officials.
Task Force officials of Telangana Food Safety wing said water analysis report and Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) certificates of supervisor were not available at Taaza kitchen. Refrigerators were not maintained properly and dustbins were found kept in open condition, according to officials.
They said food articles in the refrigerator were found to be uncovered and unlabelled while semi-prepared and raw materials, food and non-food items were stored together. Few vegetables and tomatoes were found to be spoiled.
Rusty iron knives were found being used for cutting of vegetables while the storage was found to be small and congested. Several food articles were found to be stored on ground instead of pallets. Rice flour stored in a steel container was found to be infested with insects and hence discarded at Taaza kitchen, officials said.
The restaurant was found to be not maintaining temperature records for the cold and some handlers were found without hairnets, gloves etc.
At Amogha hotel and café in Ameerpet, pest control and staff health records, water analysis report and Fostac certificates of the supervisor were not available. Refrigerators were not maintained properly and were littered with food waste. Flooring was found to be patchy with littering of food waste and stagnant water at several places, officials said.
Grinding and washing areas were found to be unhygienic with clogged drains. Food articles in the refrigerator were found to be uncovered and unlabelled. Synthetic food colors were found and discarded on suspicion of use in prepared food articles.
Storage was found to be congested with food articles dumped on the ground. Food and non-food articles were stored together. Rodent infestation observed in the storage area and the toilet found to be opening directly into the kitchen which may cause contaminations, officials said.
At 4 Seasons restaurant, officials noticed heavy cockroach infestation with cockroaches present everywhere in the kitchen. Presence of rat feces in the storage indicated rodent infestation while the washing area was found to be in unhygienic condition with stagnant water, clogged drains and littering of food waste, officials said.
A few food articles in the refrigerator were uncovered and none of the food articles were labelled. Raw meat like chicken, mutton etc was found to be dumped in the refrigerator in an unhygienic manner which can cause contamination.
Vegetarian and non-vegetarian food and non-food articles, raw and semi cooked items were found stored together. Ceiling of the kitchen was found to be dark and sooty. Flooring was found to be patchy and littered with food waste. Walls were found to be oily and tiles were found to be broken at some places.
