‘Veg & non-veg food found stored together’: Bengaluru’s poshest clubs caught with unhygienic kitchens | Bengaluru News
BENGALURU: After multiple raids on hotels, restaurants and eateries across the city, Bengaluru’s elite club kitchens have now come under the food safety scanner, with a surprise inspection drive exposing a string of hygiene and food-handling violations at some of the city’s prominent establishments.The checks, conducted by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Tuesday, found lapses ranging from unhygienic kitchens and improper storage to missing mandatory labels and inadequate pest control.Officials inspected 10 clubs, including Century Club, Karnataka State Cricket Association Club, Race Course Club, Bowring Institute, Catholic Club, Badminton Club, Tennis Club, Vijayanagara Club, Mahalakshmi Layout Club and Malleshwaram Club.The findings have put even Bengaluru’s most prestigious clubs under the spotlight, raising questions about safety standards maintained behind their kitchens and dining rooms.At KSCA Club, officials found poor personal hygiene among food handlers, plastic cutting boards and blocked drains. “The frozen storage area was unhygienic, while vegetarian and non-vegetarian food was not stored separately. Tilapia fish was found without mandatory labelling. A packet of tur dal reportedly lacked packing date, batch number and MRP. The utensil-cleaning area did not have hot water and was found to be unhygienic,” said FDA commissioner Srinivas K.The findings at Bowring Institute were equally concerning, with officials discovering rotten onions and ginger. “Storage practices were found to be improper, while pest-control measures had not been carried out,” Srinivas added.Officials said the club inspections were part of the ongoing drive to ensure that establishments serving food comply with prescribed safety and hygiene norms.
