Rat in Blinkit freezer, spoiled KFC chicken: Food safety norms flouted across India, regulators crack whip
Restaurant chains, including KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Starbucks and Monginis have also been inspected for food safety norm violations.
Across India, food safety regulators have been cracking down on violations by chain restaurants and luxury hotels, revealing serious breaches of quality standards. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has targeted companies for mislabeling and selling unsafe products. In recent incidents, a rat was discovered inside an ice cream freezer at a Blinkit delivery store in Thane, Maharashtra, while a customer in Mangalore reported receiving spoiled and foul-smelling KFC chicken.
Several notable brands and establishments have come under scrutiny, including Dabur, Old Monk, Zepto, Blinkit, Instamart, KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Starbucks, and Monginis. Restaurant chains like McDonald's, KFC, and Subway were inspected for safety breaches. Additionally, Bollywood stars Shashank Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff received notices from the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to violations in a pan masala advertisement.
Here are some of the recent incidents of food safety violations in India:
1. A KFC outlet in Mangalore was closed after a customer reported receiving spoiled chicken with a foul odor. Authorities seized expired meat, totaling 23 kg from three hotels in Mysuru.
2. A warehouse operated by the quick commerce firm Zepto in Bengaluru was closed for alleged violations in food labeling, handling, and storage practices.
3. Luxury hotels across Bengaluru were inspected, finding unhygienic storage, fungal growth on vegetables, and inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items.
4. In Bengaluru, 12 locations seized 5,343 kg of substandard dairy, oil, and spices worth ₹9.81 lakh during raids. Nine establishments were sealed, and 15 individuals arrested.
5. The FSSAI has banned the sale of certain whisky and rum brands, including Old Monk, due to flavoring violations. Companies were using artificial flavors instead of traditional aging methods.
These incidents highlight the ongoing efforts to enforce food safety norms and protect consumers from potential health risks.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
