Three hotels shut, 38 get notices in food safety drive

Guidelines include a 30-point agenda for maintaining hygiene

Three hotels have bee issued closure notice and 38 others have been put on notice for improvement in week-long raids on hotels and bakeries in Ernakulam district by Food Safety and Standards officers.

The hotels that have been shut are: Lavanya at Kaloor, Rajadhani at Tripunithura and Your Choice at Irimpanam.

The authorities realised a fine of Rs. 1.80 lakh during the drive in which 73 hotels were inspected.

Fines ranged up to Rs.10,000, said an official. The hotels that have been fined include repeat offenders and the fines are based on the seriousness of the offences.

An official said that there were repeat offenders and compliance level was around 50 per cent. Hotels found guilty of violating the norms for hygiene and food standards are issued notices and they acknowledge the receipt of the notices, said the official.

The official said that this week’s raids were a follow-up action on the guidelines issued by FSSA in August last year. The guidelines included a 30-point agenda for maintaining hygiene in hotels and eateries.

The places where raids were conducted include Ernakulam, Aluva, Kalamssery, Tripunithura, Perumbavoor, Thirvankulam, Koothattukulam, Vazhakkulam, Moovattupuzha and Kothamangalam.

The official said that no fines were imposed on erring hoteliers during the raids and inspections three months in view of the shift from old food safety regime under Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to the new regime. No cases have been taken up for prosecution so far under the FSSA in the district.

Food safety officers had raided ice-making plants last month resulting in the closure of three ice plants after many of the samples tested positive for formalin and ammonium. The closed ice plants were allowed to reopen only after they were fined.

Official says there are repeat offenders and compliance level is 50 per cent.