The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has recently suspended the FSSAI license of Hotel Shadab, a well-known restaurant located near Charminar. This action is part of a broader food safety enforcement initiative targeting various eateries across Hyderabad. The drive aims to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, reflecting ongoing concerns about food quality in the region.
Cafes and Hotels Face Notices for Health Violations
Health authorities have issued show-cause notices to several establishments, including Golden Cafe, Mirosa Cafe, Asiatic Cafe, Dreamz Cafeteria, and Hotel Shadab. Additionally, 12 other venues such as Nimrah Cafe & Bakery, Blue Sea, Cafe Persia, Bahar Biryani Cafe, and Diamond Point Hotel received improvement notices. These notices require the establishments to rectify identified deficiencies before their upcoming re-inspections.
Officials also reported unhygienic food preparation areas, open garbage bins, waste littering, and staff members working without the required headgear. At Hotel Shadab in Madina near Charminar, which is famous among foodies for its Hyderabadi biryani, rich Mughlai-Persian cuisine, and traditional breakfast items, inspectors found severe food safety violations, prompting authorities to order an immediate halt to operations. Evidence of cockroaches and houseflies was also found in food preparation areas. As part of the drive, Asiatic Cafe in Panjagutta and Dreamz Cafeteria in Bagh Lingampally were ordered to shut down for operating without valid FSSAI licenses or registrations.
The drive was conducted by nine joint teams of Food Safety Officers and police personnel, who inspected 19 cafes and snack centers across the city’s Core Urban Region to check compliance with food safety and sanitation norms. Officials destroyed perishable items found exposed to dust and flies and seized 15 samples, including tea powder, ginger-garlic paste and biscuits for laboratory testing over suspected adulteration.
Poor handling practices involving meat and other perishable items were observed, according to inspectors. They said the management failed to produce mandatory health records of food handlers, FoSTaC training certificates, and pest control logs.
