Crackdown on Hyderabad Eateries Reveals Sordid Business Practices

Hyderabad: A worrying picture as regards hygiene at popular eateries has emerged following the series of raids by the commissioner of food safety, a wing of the state health department.

The well-known Bilal Ice Cream outlet at Moazzam Jahi Market was found operating without a licence and was found selling counterfeit branded water bottles. The task force inspection revealed that its manufacturing unit was unregistered.

At Karachi Bakery in the same vicinity, officials noticed stocks of rusks, biscuits, candies, chocolate cakes, toasts and buns worth Rs 5,200, whose expiry dates were long over. Furthermore, the bakery was found violating FSSAI regulations by not displaying dates on pastries and cakes.

Clove Vegetarian Fine Dine in Himayatnagar was found selling ‘expired’ products, including cheese, syrup and sandwich bread. A nearby Creamstone outlet was penalised for serving cakes without mention of the expiry date. It had also stocked expired strawberry paste, while pineapple tidbits were not kept in mandated cold conditions.

Additional violations were observed at other local food outlets. Firefly restaurant was named for unhygienic and pest-related issues, whereas Air Live in Sarath City Mall was reprimanded for using substandard water bottles. Taco Bell, in the mall, was found guilty of reusing cooking oil.

Further adjudication proceedings are pending and the errant establishments will be subject to heavy fines and corrective demands before they can resume operations.