Hyderabad Walmart raided, fined for storing meat from unlicensed slaughterhouses

In a statement, Walmart said that it was fully cooperating with the authorities.
Hyderabad Walmart raided, fined for storing meat from unlicensed slaughterhouses
Hyderabad Walmart raided, fined for storing meat from unlicensed slaughterhouses
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The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) seems determined to spare no one in its ongoing raids on eateries. 

The municipal corporation imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Thursday, after raiding a Walmart outlet in the city that was selling 'unstamped' meat.

According to reports, a three-member team from the GHMC also found that they were selling some meat, procured from Nagpur.

Asking them to dispose the meat, the GHMC also warned them of stringent action.

"At Walmart, food safety is given top priority and an integral part of our compliance culture...We continually work towards mitigating food safety risks, and collaborate with all stakeholders including suppliers. We follow very stringent quality standards and ensure our suppliers have valid FSSAI licences from the very beginning when we start sourcing from them," a Walmart spokesperson was quoted as saying.

This came just days after the GHMC conducted a raid on Y2K restaurant in Panjagutta and sealed it, besides fining six other eateries for lack of hygiene and poor food standards.

GHMC officials imposed fines on Almas Palace in Jubilee Hills, Papadams in Vanasthalipuram, Maharaja Restaurant and Bar, Mount Paradise Bar & Family Restaurant and Sri Siddhi Udupi Tiffin & Restaurant.

For the past few weeks, the GHMC has been conducting massive raids across the city.

The municipality has reportedly raided more than 70 restaurants, of which 54 were using stale meat and had dirty kitchens.

This came after GHMC instructed the hotels under their limits, to maintain hygienic premises and to use only stamped meat from notified slaughterhouses.

"It is a public–private partnership and the GHMC issues permission to private agencies to build and run these notified slaughterhouses, in accordance with our norms and rules. Therefore, we can be sure that the meat from here is healthier," an official from the GHMC's Health Wing had earlier told TNM.

However, since this meat is costly, several eateries make their purchases from local butchers, thereby putting public health at risk.

Officials also say that in many places, they found meat that was stored in unhygienic conditions for more than a week, while the ideal norm is one day storage.

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