Oct 11, 2018
Maharashtra FDA cracks whip on 113 eateries, issues notice to four food portals
In addition, a showcause notice has been issued to four food aggregator portals — Swiggy, Zomato, Food Panda, and Uber Eats — who delivered food from these outlets.
FDA Joint Commissioner (Food) Shailesh Aadhav said most food outlets inspected in Mumbai and found flouting norms were small scale businesses focussed on food delivery through portals.
THE MAHARASHTRA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued stop business notices to 113 food establishments in Mumbai that deliver food through e-commerce portals and online aggregators, after finding they violated norms under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. In addition, a showcause notice has been issued to four food aggregator portals — Swiggy, Zomato, Food Panda, and Uber Eats — who delivered food from these outlets.
“The FDA survey has revealed that the establishments of food processing working through these online app and websites worked in unhealthy conditions. There were several violations found,” said FDA Commissioner Pallavi Darade. The food delivery business has spiked with people preferring to order food in the comfort of their homes, she added.
Between September 21 and October 1, the FDA inspected 347 outlets that home-delivered food through online aggregators. The food inspectors found that at least 113 establishments were working without the requisite licence or registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Several were also found adopting unhygienic working conditions.
Inquiry showed that these 113 outlets were operating business through portals like Swiggy, Zomato, Food Panda and Uber Eats. At least 85 outlets were attached with Swiggy, 50 with Zomato, three with Food Panda and two with Uber Eats.
While the 113 food outlets have been issued stop business notice with immediate effect under Section 14 of Food Safety and Standards Act, the four portals were issued showcause notices. Officials with FDA said once they receive responses from the portals, further action will be taken.
In an email response to The Indian Express, a Swiggy spokesperson said, “Over the last two months, we have delisted hundreds of restaurants that were not compliant to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations or have poor customer ratings, while simultaneously assisting many restaurants to procure their licenses through our FSSAI Assist Program. Honouring the deadline of September 30, we have completed the delisting of those restaurants which were unable to procure their license or an acknowledgment.” The spokesperson added that as on October 1, all restaurants catering to Swiggy had FSSAI license.
“Separately, Swiggy has been working with Equinox Labs, a reputed food-audit firm accredited by FSSAI/ NABL on food hygiene audits that are conducted at restaurants, to ensure food prepared is in accordance with hygiene standards,” the spokesperson said.
FDA Joint Commissioner (Food) Shailesh Aadhav said most food outlets inspected in Mumbai and found flouting norms were small scale businesses focussed on food delivery through portals. “In most, we found cleanliness of cooking utensils and equipment was not maintained. Those cooking food were also not maintaining personal hygiene.”
A spokesperson from Uber Eats said that “the business is evolving every day and entities are regularly checked and removed from the platform”. “Providing access to reliable food for consumers is at the heart of our business and we are committed to raising awareness about food safety standards. We are working closely with the governing authorities to help them achieve their objective of ensuring good quality and safe food,” the spokesperson added.
An official from Zomato working in the merchant section said that they are not aware of receiving any showcause notice. Emails sent by The Indian Express to Zomato and Food Panda elicited no response.
Kolkata: KMC conducts special drive to check quality of food in restaurants
KOLKATA: A Kolkata Municipal Corporation health department team conducted a two-day special drive to check quality of food at some central Kolkata restaurants, food joints at a mall and a couple of reputable star hotels located off Eastern Metropolitan. The drive that was launched on Tuesday was part of a food safety exercise before pujas.
According to sources in the KMC health department though the civic food inspectors did not find adulteration in food collected from the star hotels, three food joints at the mall located off EM Bypass were asked to upgrade their bakery products and the quality of cooked food being sold there.
The civic team on Tuesday warned owner of a restaurant on Park Street against upkeep of its kitchen. “We found the kitchen of the restaurant on Park Street to be unclean and unhygienic. We have asked the owner to upgrade the kitchen with immediate effect or else we may have to take punitive steps,” said a KMC health department official.
The KMC team of food inspectors are also readying for a drive against food stalls and sellers of soft drinks in front of city’s major puja pandals. “We will undertake a special drive against quality of food to be served from the food stalls and soft drinks in front of city’s major puja pandals. We will arrange for a speedy test of these food to be collected and take steps against adulteration in food and soft drinks,” a KMC health department official said.
Restaurants Body Files Complaints Against 50 Hotels
NRAI urges govt of Haryana to look into matter, says will take up issues in other states too
New Delhi:
In a first of its kind, the national restaurant association has written to the government of Haryana and the state chief minister against at least 50 restaurants in the state flouting laws on matters such as food safety, fire prevention and pollution control.
Some of the restaurants and pubs, many of which are also chains operating more than one store, include names such as Hyde by Plan B, Junction, Karma, Knight Rider and The Social Chamber. Almost all of them continue to be listed on restaurant discovery and online ordering platform Zomato.
Addressed to Haryana chief minister ML Khattar, the letter highlights “non-compliance of laws prescribed to operate restaurants”. The national association, which has over 5,000 members, has urged the state government to set up a joint department committee to look at the functionality of such restaurants.
“Operators are flouting laws which cover commercial activity of operating a restaurant. While they are adhering to the excise policy in providing a ‘safe’ drinking place, these restaurants are preparing, cooking and serving food and other beverages; there has to be compliance of food safety, fire prevention and pollution control. These are being flouted,” the letter by National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) president Rahul Singh, written on behalf of its members, states.
ET has seen a copy of the letter, which has been registered by the Chief Minister Grievances Redress and Monitoring System.
“This is the first time we are taking up non-compliance of laws by restaurants with the government... We will take up similar cases in other states going forward,” Singh told ET.
The letter states that there are “various” rules which have to be in compliance to commercially operate a restaurant such as the FSSAI food safety licence and registration of Goods & Services Tax (GST).
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