FSSAI licences suspended of 14 Hyderabad restaurants including Shah Ghouse, Hotel Nayaab; Taj Falaknuma gets show cause notice

Popular restaurants, including Hotel Nayaab, Shah Ghouse, Dine Hill Restaurant, Sohail Restaurant and Aeezebo The Royal Arabian Restaurant, have landed in trouble after the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) suspended the food safety licences of 14 restaurants following inspections that uncovered multiple food safety violations.

Additionally, TG SAFE has issued show-cause notices to eight establishments, including the renowned Taj Falaknuma Palace, for serious violations detected during inspections.

TG SAFE conducted special inspection drives across Golconda and Charminar zones on Saturday, deploying 22 enforcement teams comprising Food Safety Officers and police personnel. A total of 22 restaurants and other food establishments were inspected.

Food safety officials have suspended the FSSAI licences of 14 restaurants and other eating establishments in Hyderabad following inspections that revealed unhygienic kitchens, cockroach and rat infestations, spoiled food, improper storage practices and other violations.

Apart from Hotel Nayaab at Nayapul and Shah Ghouse Cafe in Shalibanda, the establishments whose FSSAI licences were suspended include Hotel Sri Raghavendra Udupi Veg in Tolichowki and Santosh Nagar, Lucky Restaurant in Santosh Nagar, Sri Balaji Family Dhaba and Siddique Kabab Central Kitchen in Gudimalkapur, Alsaba Hotel in Tolichowki and Mehfil Restaurant in Dilsukhnagar. The list also includes Hotel Akshaya Tiffins in Malakpet and Hotel Venkateshwara on MJR Road. 

All 14 establishments have been instructed to immediately suspend business operations in the interest of public health.

The violations detected during the inspections included cockroach and housefly infestations, spoiled and fungus-contaminated vegetables, expired food products, raw meat being stored alongside vegetarian food, greasy walls and exhaust systems, damaged flooring and water stagnation. Officials also found improper food storage practices, food handlers working without hairnets and gloves, and repeated use of cooking oil for frying.

Apart from suspending the licences, officials collected 21 food samples on suspicion of adulteration. As much as 544 kg of spoiled and contaminated vegetables, leftover food, expired products and food articles infested with pests were discarded during the inspections. Another 13 kg of used cooking oil was discarded on suspicion of repeated use
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Apart from suspending the licences, officials collected 21 food samples on suspicion of adulteration. As much as 544 kg of spoiled and contaminated vegetables, leftover food, expired products and food articles infested with pests were discarded during the inspections. Another 13 kg of used cooking oil was discarded on suspicion of repeated use.

The eight establishments issued show-cause notices include Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hotel Sabzi in Charminar, Pista House Restaurant in Shahalibanda, Sweekar Hotel in Santosh Nagar, Mandi at 36 Arabian Kitchen in Charminar, Golconda Hotel and Resorts in Masab Tank, Imperial Multicuisine Restaurant in Tolichowki and Taiba Bakery in Lakdikapul.

Further action, including the imposition of penalties, will be initiated against these establishments for the violations detected during the inspections, TG SAFE said.