Hyderabad’s top restaurants kept stale food, failed to maintain hygiene, claim officials after inspection

Food safety regulators have discovered that some of the most well-known restaurants in Hyderabad, which are recognized for serving biryani and other specialties that contribute to the city's renowned culinary scene, were utilizing outdated or expired ingredients and cooking food in an unsanitary environment.

Nonetheless, the eateries insisted that their food is prepared hygienically and that, in certain instances, the rotten goods discovered by inspectors were really stock that was set aside to be thrown away.

"Most shocking is the lack of basic hygiene in the kitchens, the use of products beyond their expiry date, and the mixing of prohibited synthetic colors in food preparations," Deputy Food Director Vijay Kumar said following inspections at some of these well-known eateries by inspectors from the Commissionerate of Food Safety, Telangana, earlier this month. Large trash cans without covers were present in several of the kitchens.

In the Tolichowki neighborhood of Hyderabad, the Shah Ghouse restaurant is well-known for its biryani. According to inspectors, they discovered semi-cooked food stored in the cold storage section in unclean conditions and standing water in the kitchen. The outlet's manager insisted that food was cooked under strict hygienic circumstances and that adjustments were being made to address the water stagnation problem.

The manager declared, "There has never been a complaint about poor food at our restaurant."

At Rayalaseema Ruchulu, located in the Lakdikapul area and famous for spicy delicacies from the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, officials claimed they found insects in flour, tamarind, and other food items. However, a restaurant representative said the inspectors had found the spoiled stock that had been kept aside to be discarded.

Food inspectors said they found 100 kg of urad dal and 10 kg of curd that had expired at Rameshwaram Café, famous for its south Indian breakfast. “The waste bins in the kitchen were not covered. Many of the products in the inventory did not have any labels,” an official said.

The café’s founder, Raghavendra Rao, has since issued a statement, saying that the establishment has taken note of the officials’ observations and that an internal inquiry has been ordered. He also assured that the café was fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and safety.

The statement noted that the expired stock found by officials had been sealed and left unattended as they were ready to be discarded. Rao also said deep cleaning was done daily and pest control every month at the café.

Food Safety Commissionerate officials said they had received a number of complaints regarding stale or spoiled food served at restaurants or delivered to people after being ordered online.

“Customers are also taking to social media to express their complaints and grievances, and we are taking note of that. We want to restore confidence among customers that we will ensure food is prepared in hygienic and safe conditions,” an official said

Authorities have asked major restaurants to employ trained food supervisors to ensure hygiene and safety in kitchens.