Food safety officials inspect a fast-food outlet in Hyderabad during a special enforcement drive targeting KFC and Domino’s restaurants. (By arrangement)

Hyderabad: The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has suspended the FSSAI license of nine Domino’s and KFC outlets here and ordered them to stop business operations immediately after inspections allegedly revealed food safety violations, including cockroach infestation, rat droppings, expired food products and foul smell in kitchens.

The suspended outlets include KFC at Madinaguda in Miyapur, Sindhi Colony, Punch Mohalla near Charminar, Moosarambagh, Banjara Hills, Shilpa Kala Vedika in Hitec City and Inorbit Mall in Madhapur. The two Domino’s outlets are at Sarath City Mall in Kondapur and Inorbit Mall in Madhapur.

At KFC-Madinaguda, officials said they found water leakage, foul smell in the kitchen and the unauthorised use of magnesium silicate to filter used cooking oil for reuse. The KFC outlet at Sindhi Colony had housefly infestation and was also using magnesium silicate to filter used oil. At the Punch Mohalla outlet, officials found foul smell in the chiller room and the unauthorised use of magnesium silicate. The Moosarambagh outlet had a rusty chiller room, water dripping in the cold room, fungal growth on walls, greasy utensils and cockroach infestation.

At the Banjara Hills KFC outlet, waterlogging in chillers and the use of magnesium silicate were reported. Unclean food preparation equipment and utensils, along with the use of the substance, were found at the KFC Shilpa Kala Vedika outlet.

At the Domino’s outlet in Sarath City Mall, they found cockroach infestation, expired products and the absence of a food-grade certificate for packaging material. At the Inorbit Mall Domino’s outlet, food handlers were found working without hairnets and aprons.

Officials also found rat droppings and live cockroaches at the Domino’s outlet, besides an untidy storeroom.

Improvement notices will be issued to eight outlets — the Domino’s branches at Nizampet, Miyapur, Himayathnagar and Malakpet, and four KFC branches at Kondapur, Karkhana, Himayathnagar and Shaikpet. Officials will reinspect these outlets to verify compliance with food safety norms.

Show-cause notices will be issued to three Domino’s outlets at Karkhana, Gachibowli and Hitec City and two KFC outlets at Nizampet and Gachibowli for serious violations. Further action, including penalties, will be initiated.

The action followed a special drive in which 13 enforcement teams, comprising Food Safety Officers and police personnel, inspected 26 outlets of the two food chains in the CURE region. TG SAFE officials collected 20 food samples on suspicion of adulteration and seized around 52 kg of synthetic magnesium silicate during the inspections.

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