The Karnataka Health Department has found several food safety violations at the canteen of Apollo Hospital on Bannerghatta Road during an inspection, including expired food ingredients, stale bread and misbranded food products, as part of a wider crackdown on food establishments across Bengaluru.
According to officials, inspectors found expired raw materials in the hospital canteen's kitchen, including rava, icing sugar, maida and bakery products. They also seized four packets of mixture and nine packets of pani puri that had exceeded their shelf life.
The inspection team also found stale bread and identified the use of two plastic chopping boards, which have been flagged as non-compliant under food safety norms due to the risk of bacterial contamination.
Officials further reported the presence of several misbranded food items, including nine packets of pani puri, five packets of meethi leaves, six 30-kg packets of fried gram, one 30-kg packet of green peas and five 30-kg packets of moong dal.
The inspection was part of a three-day special enforcement drive carried out by the Food Safety Division of Karnataka's Food Safety and Drug Administration Department under the guidance of Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader.
The drive, conducted from August 7 to August 9, covered 60 three-star and five-star hotels across Bengaluru Urban district and the Greater Bengaluru Area. A total of 77 food samples were collected for laboratory analysis.
During the inspections, officials identified multiple violations, including the storage of expired food products, non-compliant food labelling, improper storage of meat and poultry, unhygienic food preparation areas, fungal growth in vegetables and inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items.
The department said notices had been issued to establishments found violating food safety norms and recommended legal action before the competent adjudicating authorities.
During the statewide drive, authorities also seized 640 kg of mislabelled cereals and other food products, 276 kg of rotten vegetables, 45 litres of expired milk and curd, 12 kg of expired bakery items, 67 kg of mislabelled or expired food products and 49 litres of used cooking oil.
The department added that inspections would continue across Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka to ensure compliance with food safety standards and provide consumers with safe and hygienic food.
