Hyderabad: Rameshwaram cafe, several other restaurants violate food safety standards

Large quantities of expired groceries were found at the popular The Rameshwaram Cafe in Madhapur, Hyderabad during an inspection conducted by the Telangana Food Safety department on Thursday, May 23.

During the safety inspection, Task force officials found eight litres of milk, ten kilograms of curd, and about 100 kg of black gram in stock that were past their expiration date. Besides, officials also seized 450 kg of improperly labelled raw rice, 20 kg of unlabeled white lobia, and 300 kg of unlabeled jaggery.  The officials found that the hygiene standards were not being met as dustbins were not covered with lids. Officials said that there were no Medical Fitness Certificates for the Food Handlers available. 

Food safety officials also conducted an inspection of Baahubali Kitchen, another popular restaurant in Madhapur, and found the kitchen to be extremely unhygienic. The task force team discovered a severe infestation of cockroaches in the kitchen and on food items inside the store room. Officials said that the restaurant did not have the pest control records. 

They also found out raw and partially prepared food was stored improperly in the refrigerator. Artificial food colouring found in the kitchen was discarded by the officials.  The restaurant also did not have a Medical Fitness Certificate for the food handlers, and the FSSAI Licence True Copy was not on display, they said.

A day earlier, a safety inspection carried out at Baskin Robbins and Labonel Fine Baking in Banjara Hills revealed that both the eateries had expired ingredients in their stock and that their Medical Fitness Certificates for Food Handlers expired. 

Only Manam Chocolate, a eatery located in the Karkhana area was found to be complying with FSSAI Regulations.

Food safety officials have been conducting inspections in restaurants across Hyderabad for the past few weeks and observed that many, including popular restaurants like Shah Ghouse and Rayalaseema Ruchulu have violated food safety norms.