The Telangana Food Safety Department conducted more than 4,600 inspections, imposing a fine of ₹ 78 lakh

Health Minister C. Damodar Rajnarasimha at a food security program at the Indian Institute of Health and Family Welfare in Hyderabad on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: File photo

The Telangana Food Safety Department has emerged as a key player in ensuring food safety and hygiene across the state this year.

From January to November 2024, the department conducted 4,652 inspections of restaurants, upscale pubs, manufacturing units, ecommerce dark stores, godowns, dairy units, and ice cream parlors in Hyderabad and other districts. These efforts resulted in a fine of ₹ 78 lakh and 710 judicial cases.

To intensify its efforts, the department on April 16 constituted a task force comprising three food safety officials to carry out the surprise inspection. Food Safety Commissioner RV Karnan disclosed that the task force has conducted 286 inspections so far, finding violations such as unhygienic food preparation, use of expired ingredients and non-compliance with documentation standards. 19,000 liters of mislabeled bottled water and 2,500 kg of adulterated ginger-garlic paste including suspicious and substandard food items worth more than 1.5 million have been seized.

Acknowledging the huge number of food establishments in Telangana, Mr. Karnan said the government had approved two additional task forces in August, one for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area and another for the districts. These teams have already conducted several inspections, 11 in GHMC and several others in Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar.

This year, the department prioritized inspections in educational institutions and hospitals, checking hygiene standards in 516 schools, hostels and PG residences. After the violations were identified, training and awareness sessions were provided to the cooks in these establishments. Similarly, 84 hospital canteens divided into 45 government and 39 private hospitals have been investigated.

With the rapid growth of the street food industry over the past decade, the department has focused on street food vendors. Through the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) programme, 1,500 vendors in four major districts, supported by corporate organizations and vendor associations, received training. Additionally, special registration drives enabled 3,774 street food vendors to secure FSSAI registrations, Mr. Karnan informed.

To enhance food testing capabilities, the state has received approval for three new food testing laboratories along with a microbiology laboratory at the Nacharam facility located at Hanamkonda, Mahbubnagar and Nizamabad. This year, the mobile food tasting fleet has also been expanded with the purchase of five new vehicles and the addition of 15 more.

Looking ahead, Mr. Karnan highlighted the department’s focus on large-scale manufacturing and retail units serving thousands of eateries. Special attention will also be given to hygiene standards in PG hostels. “Our efforts will continue to target establishments that act as umbrella providers for restaurants and eateries, ensuring that food safety and hygiene standards are maintained across the state,” he said.