Food raid on hotels

Hotel Gargee Grand. Pictures by Manoj Kumar

Patna: The health department's food safety wing has planned to conduct regular raids on city hotels for hygiene standards after two establishments were found lax on Saturday.

Authorities of Hotel Lemon Tree and Gargee Grand have been asked to maintain hygiene standards after raids revealed loopholes. Food safety officer Ajay Kumar, who conducted the raids, said: "Both the hotels were found to not maintain sanitation norms. They have been served notice."

Violation of sanitation and hygiene norms had also drawn the attention of Bihar State Pollution Control Board which recently showcaused seven hotels in the city.

A senior food safety officer said the teams found food products at both hotels not stored properly. "The norms stipulate vegetarian and non-vegetarian raw material to be kept separately, including spices. We didn't find packaging date on products and few ingredients were found kept in open. We have collected oil and spice samples from the hotels and will send them to a Calcutta laboratory," the source said.

He added that a decision has been taken to conduct raids on at least two hotels a day, besides visit to mandis.

"The hotel management has to provide health reports of the staffs to the food safety wing on visits. The idea is that the staff who mainly work in kitchens should be free from infections and diseases," added the official.

The food safety wing will now make it mandatory for hotel and restaurant staffs to undergo training in food safety and hygiene standards.

Sources said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has instructed the food safety wing to ensure one in every 25 staff is trained and serves as certified food safety supervisor.

Restaurants and hotels whose annual turnover is Rs 12 lakh or more will be required to do this, a source said.

On the parameters checked during raids on hotels, restaurants and other eateries, the source said: "We have to check if there is a proper waste disposal system, drainage facility, proper labelling and segregation of raw material, food additives and ingredients. The staff shall wear clean aprons, head cover, gloves and footwear, and not handle food if unwell. Potable water must be available 24x7 and control measures must be taken to prevent insects and rodents contaminating the food."