India Intensifies Food Safety Crackdown With Restaurant Raids and Warning Labels

India is ramping up enforcement of food safety rules, with intensified inspections, permit suspensions and increased scrutiny of hygiene practices. Restaurants are facing heightened visibility as regulators release photos and videos from raids, putting hygiene practices, food labeling and adulteration under intense public scrutiny.

The crackdown aligns with India's move towards a new front-of-pack warning system for packaged foods, which has stirred controversy among industry players and health advocates. Since 2020, inspectors have tested over 100,000 food samples annually, with about one in five classified as unsafe, substandard or improperly labeled. Maharashtra's food safety commissioner has led more than 3,000 raids, inspecting street vendors, hotels, and restaurants, including outlets of Domino's, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's.

Four Domino's and one Pizza Hut outlet had their permits suspended due to hygiene violations. The enforcement campaign has expanded beyond kitchens to include food warehouses, with Maharashtra suspending permits at 12 quick-commerce warehouses due to issues like cockroaches, rodent droppings, and rotting vegetables. The campaign has also targeted labeling and adulteration, with FSSAI seizing adulterated paneer and taking action against companies like Diageo and Red Bull for labeling violations.

The proposed warning system faces opposition from food companies and health advocates, with concerns over strict thresholds and the inadequacy of the proposed warnings.