Unsafe Food Practices Rampant in Tirupati Due to Lax Enforcement

 Tirupati: Tirupati, gateway to the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara Swamy, is battling persistent food safety violations that threaten the health of its residents, pilgrims and visitors. There are over 2,000 licensed and unlicensed eateries, from small stalls to top hotels, where unsafe and unhygienic food practices are being observed.

A recent inspection by Deccan Chronicle found that violations are not confined to roadside vendors, but are also prevalent in well-known restaurants, bakeries and shops, especially in areas near the railway station, bus stand and other locations frequented by pilgrims.

Enforcement of safe food practices has seen little improvement in Tirupati, hampered by a shortage of staff in the Food Safety Department. The district has just one Food Controller and three Food Safety Officers, one of whom is on long leave, another is busy with the laddu ghee adulteration case; leaving only one officer for routine checks.

“With so few staff on the ground, it is impossible to conduct regular or systematic inspections. Most of our actions are reactive to complaints, rather than proactive monitoring,” a food safety official admitted on condition of anonymity.

The role of Municipal Corporation of Tirupati is limited to imposing fines, with no powers to initiate legal action. A recent crackdown on eateries had led to fines of ₹4.92 lakh in 20 cases, including ₹50,000 on an ice cream agency, ₹1.15 lakh on eateries for serving substandard food and ₹15,000 for storing expired items.

Sources said fewer than 100 food safety cases have been registered since Tirupati district’s formation, with about 40 settled through fines and the rest pending in court. This highlights the gap between the scale of the problem and enforcement.

Following mounting public complaints, the Food Safety and Legal Metrology departments carried out a joint enforcement drive on Thursday. Eighteen teams conducted surprise inspections, collected 35 food samples for testing, issued notices to 21 establishments for unhygienic conditions, and destroyed 26 kg of spoiled food, including stale chicken biryani and mushrooms.

Officials have, however, disclosed only the quantity of food seized, without naming the establishments involved, drawing sharp criticism from residents. “If they don’t tell us which outlets are selling bad food, how can we avoid them? Such information should be made public,” demanded Madhu Sirigiri, a Tirupati resident. Others felt the raids are at least a step forward, sending a warning to business owners that inspections could happen anytime.

Activists argue that the scale of violations demands stronger food safety measures and public disclosure of offenders.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Tirupati is witnessing rampant food safety violations across hundreds of eateries, from roadside stalls to prominent hotels.

- Post a recent crackttd

down, officials have not disclosed the names of offending establishments, prompting public criticism and calls for stronger action.