Dough kneading with feet video triggers hygiene test on Delhi eateries

The video of an employee of New Delhi's famous eatery, 'Kake Da Dhaba', kneading dough with his feet has triggered a crackdown by the Food and Safety Department of Delhi on restaurants.
The department has collected samples from from four restaurants in Connaught Place -- KFC, Ardor, Hotel Marina and Flying Saucer QBA (formerly known as Qba) – and sent them for tests on March 1. Samples of chicken strips, aloo sabji, paneer tikka and methi malai tikka have been taken.
"We are taking food samples from all districts. On Friday, food safety officers visited central, south-east and north districts. We want to ensure that the food is safe and all standards are maintained," said Dr Mrinalini Darswal, Commissioner, Department of Food Safety, Delhi government.
According to officials, a complaint was filed by a consumer on February 1 against KFC, alleging that a worm was found inside a chicken piece. "We have collected samples of chicken wings from the outlet. The report will come in 15 days," said Pawan Kamra, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Food Safety.
Suveet Kalra, Head of Operations, Ardor, said: "The officials visited our restaurant on Wednesday. They have collected samples and food items. They were quite satisfied with our food and we are sure we will pass the test." The Delhi High Court on Thursday had directed the authorities not to pick and choose restaurants on the pretext of hygiene and safety standards. The court was hearing a case related to 'Kake Da Hotel'. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva's remarks came while ordering the withdrawal of a notice against the hotel, a popular joint in Connaught Place.
"It is a routine check done every year. But this time they took samples of cooked food while previously, on all occasions, they have taken raw materials like spices, oil, paneer etc. We are confident that we will pass the test," said Karuna Kanta Debnath, Operations Manager, QBA.
KFC and Hotel Marina were not available for comments.
On February 22, the Food Safety Department raided 'Kake Da Dhaba', the 86-year-old eatery, and collected food samples after an unverified video showed a cook kneading dough with his feet.
While the restaurant denied the charge, out of the food samples collected from Kake Da Hotel, a sample of chutney failed the quality test. The capital has 5,00,000 food vendors. The department has only six food inspectors against a vacancy of 32. The situation has been the same for the last three years.
"We are going to have a written examination in the coming week for safety officers. Hopefully, 20 more will be hired soon," said Dr Darswal. Food inspectors either randomly visit restaurants and collect samples or take action on complaints. The inspector first collects food samples, investigate the case, launch prosecution (if required) and then take the cases to special courts.