Food safety authorities of Telangana have found expired stocks of Black gram (Urad dal) and some dairy items on the premises of the popular Rameshwaram Cafe here.
In its response, the popular restaurant said the expired goods were not meant for consumption but to be discarded.
“Task force team has conducted inspections in the Madhapur area on 23.05.2024. The Rameshwaram Cafe Urad Dal (100Kg) stock found expired in Mar’24 worth Rs 16K. Nandini Curd (10kg), Milk (8L) worth Rs 700 found expired. Above items discarded on the spot,” Commissioner, Food Safety, Telangana said in a post on ‘X’.
Among them were Bengaluru’s popular South Indian breakfast restaurant, Rameshwaram Cafe (recently opened its QSR outlet in Madhapur, Hyderabad), and Bahubali Kitchen, both found to be violating food safety norms.
According to media reports, Telangana Food Safety Department officials discovered multiple violations on Thursday. Restaurants were found using expired and unlabeled food items. Specifically, the Food Safety Department stated, “100 kg of urad dal expired in March 2024 (worth INR 16K), 10 kg of Nandini curd, and eight liters of milk worth INR 700 were found expired and present in the kitchen.” These items were discarded on the spot by the authorities. Additionally, other items in the kitchen were seized for improper and unclear labeling. Officials found 450 kg of improperly labelled raw rice, 20 kg of white lobia worth INR 26K, and 300 kg of unlabeled jaggery worth INR 30K. The Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana, tweeted that “medical fitness certificates were not submitted for food handlers, and the dustbins were also not covered with lids.” These findings were part of the raid on the recently launched Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chain outside the tech capital in Hyderabad’s Madhapur area in January this year. Rameshwaram Cafe is known for its ghee-rich idlis and dosas and has gained popularity among foodies over the years. This fully-crowded restaurant is frequented by many celebrities and was recently in the news due to a bomb blast at its Bengaluru Kundalahalli branch. At least 10 people were injured in the blast on March 1. On the same day, another popular restaurant, Bahubali Kitchen, was also raided. The authorities found synthetic food colours in the kitchen, which were discarded on the spot. Additionally, a “heavy cockroach infestation was observed in their kitchen, and cockroaches were found on food articles inside the storeroom.” As per the tweet, there was no record of pest control. The kitchen premises were observed to be extremely unhygienic, with water stagnation in the cleaning area. Authorities also found improperly stored semi-prepared and raw food inside the refrigerator, and the medical fitness certificate for food handlers was not found. They also couldn’t find the FSSAI License True Copy on display at the premises.
