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Expired milk, meat and bakery products were among the food items seized from some of Bengaluru’s top hotels during a food safety crackdown. The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected 26 three-star and five-star hotels across Bengaluru on Friday, August 7. Officials found expired food, fungal growth on vegetables, unhygienic kitchens, and improper storage of meat products.
The inspections were conducted by 30 teams of Food Safety Officers under the state Health Department. The drive was conducted under the guidance of Health Minister UT Khader to verify compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.
The inspections covered hotels across all Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) zones. Officials said the checks were prompted by multiple complaints from members of the public and were intended to ensure that premium hospitality establishments were also complying with food safety and hygiene requirements.
The search revealed several lapses, including non-compliance with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) labelling requirements, improper labelling and misbranding of food products, storage of expired food, unhygienic food handling and storage conditions, fungal growth on vegetables, and failure to maintain separate storage facilities for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
Officials also checked the storage and handling of meat products, including whether raw and cooked food were properly segregated, whether measures were in place to prevent cross-contamination, and whether cold-chain and temperature-control requirements were being followed.
A total of 35 food samples were collected from the hotels and sent to the Food Laboratory for analysis. The samples included tea powder, chicken, mutton, fish, edible oil, chilli powder, turmeric powder, tomato sauce, lemon juice, cheese, papad, cashew nuts, ginger, pepper powder, spice powder, milk and other food products.
Legal action will be taken wherever laboratory analysis or inspections confirm violations, officials said. The concerned Food Business Operators have also been served notices, with adjudication proceedings initiated before the Adjudicating Officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
The inspections also resulted in the seizure and destruction of substantial quantities of food that officials deemed expired or unsafe for consumption. At The Lalit Ashok (Annex South), officials seized 76 kg of meat and 200 kg of vegetables, besides 32 litres of expired milk, which was destroyed.
At Shangri-La Bengaluru, 15 kg of meat was seized, while officials confiscated 19 kg of meat at Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru. At Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield, three kg of expired bakery products were seized and destroyed.
At Taj Yeshwantpur, officials seized 72 kg of meat and fish. One of the largest seizures was reported at Radisson Blu (The Atria), where 105 kg of expired food articles were seized. The stock included 50 kg of chicken, 25 kg of meat, 23 kg of fish and seven kg of vegetables.
Officials also reported rotten potatoes and tomatoes at one of the hotels. Expired milk, bakery products, chicken, fish, meat and vegetables were among the food items found during the inspections, according to the department.
FDA Commissioner Srinivas K told Times of India that the inspections would continue on Saturday, with teams conducting detailed checks of hotel kitchens, warehouses and centralised kitchens. "This special drive will continue on Saturday. We’re carrying out detailed inspections of hotel kitchens, warehouses and centralised kitchens, with a strong focus on food safety and hygiene," he said.
The inspection teams have been instructed to use the FSSAI checklist for comprehensive checks. Apart from collecting samples of chicken, mutton, fish and other non-vegetarian products for laboratory analysis, officials will examine meat storage facilities, cold-storage units and temperature-control systems.
They will also check the calorie information displayed on menus and inspect whether hotels are properly segregating raw and cooked food, preventing cross-contamination and maintaining the required cold chain.
Khader, speaking in Mangaluru, said the government had deliberately begun the enforcement drive with luxury hotels to send a message to the hospitality industry. "If we inspect top five-star hotels and take action, everyone below will automatically fall in line. The message should be clear: if they are not spared, nobody else will be either. Our only objective is to ensure people are served safe and healthy food," he said.
The minister also said inspectors had found imported meat from Denmark in one hotel kitchen, raising questions about its freshness and quality. "When meat is readily available here, why import it from Denmark? What kind of meat is it? How long did it take to reach here? Even transporting it in containers takes nearly a month. In that case, how can we trust its quality?" he asked.
Khader urged hotel owners to put food safety ahead of profits. "People pay for the food they eat. Don’t serve them food that lands them in the ICU," he said.
He also said consumers had a right to know where the food they eat comes from and how it is prepared and stored. Referring to major food chains operating in Karnataka, Khader questioned the sourcing and freshness of ingredients used by such establishments.
"Where do their buns come from? Are they made fresh every day, or are they weeks or months old? Where does the chicken come from, and how long has it been stored? How long ago was the chicken masala prepared? At what temperature is it frozen? What preservatives or chemicals are added to keep the buns fresh for a month or two?" he asked.
"The public has a right to know these details so they can make an informed decision about whether to eat there or not," Khader added.
The FDA said the concerned food business operators would have to comply with the food safety requirements and warned that legal action would follow wherever violations are confirmed. The department is also continuing inspections of luxury hospitality establishments, including their kitchens and food storage facilities.
