Hyderabad food safety drive: 11 eateries shut, notices to Rameshwaram Cafe, Shadab, Shah Ghouse

Hyderabad's food safety watchdog has ordered 11 eateries in the city's IT corridor to stop operations immediately and issued improvement notices to six others, including three well-known restaurants, after a special inspection drive detected multiple hygiene lapses.

The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) carried out the inspections on Saturday, September 26, covering 20 restaurants in Madhapur, Hitec City and Gachibowli. Ten teams from the authority's Enforcement Wing, comprising Food Safety Officers and police personnel, conducted the checks in what officials described as the Core Urban Region.

Improvement notices were issued to Rameshwaram Cafe in Madhapur, Hotel Shadab and Shah Ghouse Hotel and Restaurant in Gachibowli, along with Ishtaa, Sahibs Barbeque and Pakka Local. An improvement notice is a formal direction to correct specific deficiencies within a stipulated period. The establishments will be re-inspected to verify compliance with food safety norms, and officials said further action would be taken based on the outcome.

Eleven other establishments had their FSSAI licences suspended, with TG SAFE directing them to cease business operations immediately in the interest of public health. An FSSAI licence or registration is the basic requirement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, for any food business to operate legally in India. The establishments named are Monastery, Shivani The Restaurant and Bar, Al Saba Restaurant, Lucky Multicuisine Restaurant, Sai Ram Mess, Udupi's Upahar, Coal Spark Multi Cuisine Restaurant, Kanchi Cafe, Antera Kitchen and Bar, Am Aha Telugu Kitchen and Bar, and Fusion 9/Amnesia Sky Bar.

According to the authority, the violations detected included cockroach and rodent infestation, fungal contamination of vegetables, unlabelled products, dirty kitchen floors, unhygienic washing areas, and vegetarian and non-vegetarian food articles stored together in refrigerators.

TG SAFE said 21 food samples were lifted on suspicion of adulteration. The samples will be tested, and the results will determine whether further penalties are warranted. Show-cause notices are also to be issued to 63 Degrees Modern Regional Buffet, Minerva Grand and Hotel Avasa. A show-cause notice gives an establishment an opportunity to present its position before any penalty is imposed.

Officials said action to impose penalties would follow against the establishments concerned. Licensing and inspection are the two main tools available to food safety authorities, and suspension is generally lifted once an establishment demonstrates that it has corrected the deficiencies and meets the required standards.

It is important to note that the notices and suspensions are enforcement steps taken on the basis of findings recorded during inspections, and not final judicial findings. Establishments have the option to respond to show-cause notices and to comply with the directions issued.

The drive reflects a broader tightening of food safety enforcement in urban Telangana, where regulators have been conducting area-wise inspections of restaurants, cloud kitchens and bars. For consumers, the FSSAI licence number displayed at an outlet is the easiest way to confirm that a food business is registered, and complaints about hygiene or food quality can be reported to the local food safety authority for inspection.