MM Farooqui Hyderabad

Ina major crackdown on food safety violations, the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has suspended the food safety licences of eight cloud kitchens and restaurants across Hyderabad and directed them to immediately cease operations.

The special enforcement drive was conducted on Tuesday, during which 23 cloud kitchens and restaurants were inspected across the city. Officials detected several violations, including cockroach infestations, rotten vegetables, expired food products, unclean kitchen equipment and improper storage of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.

The operation was carried out by 24 teams comprising food safety officers and Hyderabad city police personnel. Following the inspections, eight establishments had their licences suspended, while 10 were served show-cause notices and five received improvement notices.

The establishments facing licence suspension are Biryani By Kilo (Gachibowli), Kulcha Kulture (Madhapur), Lucky Multicuisine Restaurant (Somajiguda), Tum Yum Innovisions (Madhapur), Zora 11 By 2 (Khairatabad), LO Fresh Foods (Ayyappa Society, Madhapur), ITC Aashirwad Soul Creations Cloud Kitchen (Gachibowli) and Sodexo India Services (Kondapur).

Show-cause notices were issued to Prism Hospitality Services Private Limited (Miyapur), Ghar the Cloud Kitchen (Kokapet), Rebel Foods (Behrouz and Faasos, Serilingampally), Rebel Foods Pvt Ltd (Shaikpet), Curefoods India Pvt Ltd (Kompally), Scuzi Hospitality Pvt Ltd (Madhapur), Sri Kakatiya Deluxe Mess (Ameerpet), FA Gifts Pvt Ltd (Gachibowli), ELIOR India Food Services LLP (Gopanpally) and Potful India Pvt Ltd (Madhapur).

During the drive, officials collected 25 food samples on suspicion of adulteration and discarded approximately 700 kg of spoiled and contaminated food articles.

Other violations included damaged flooring, food waste scattered across kitchens, unclean washing areas, clogged drains, dirty walls, greasy exhaust systems and food handlers working without protective clothing.

Improvement notices were issued to AVA Cloud Kitchens (Lingampally), Harley's India Pvt Ltd (Pragathi Nagar), Hunger Experiment Pvt Ltd (Madhapur), Fruitique (Kompally) and Rebel Foods Pvt Ltd (Behrouz Biryani, Khairatabad), directing them to rectify the deficiencies.

Officials said further action, including penalties, would be initiated based on the responses received, enforcement proceedings and findings of subsequent inspections. Establishments served with notices would also face re-inspections to verify compliance with food safety norms.