- FDA seized expired food at Bengaluru hotels.
- The drive followed public complaints.
- Health minister emphasized hotel food safety.
THE KARNATAKA FOOD Safety and Drug Administration seized expired food, vegetables and other substandard items during inspections of star hotels in and around Bengaluru on Friday. The drive followed multiple public complaints about food safety violations.
The FDA deployed 30 teams to inspect star hotels across Karnataka, according to The Times of India. In Bengaluru, teams inspected 26 hotels, collected 35 food samples and ordered the disposal of expired and substandard food.
Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader said the government began the crackdown with luxury hotels to send a message to the hospitality industry.
“If we inspect top five-star hotels and take action, everyone below will automatically fall in line. The message should be clear: if they are not spared, nobody else will be either,” he said.
At The Lalit Ashok Annex South, officials seized 76 kilograms of meat, 200 kilograms of vegetables and 32 liters of expired milk, the Times reported. At Radisson Blu Atria, they seized 105 kilograms of expired food, including 50 kilograms of chicken, 25 kilograms of meat, 23 kilograms of fish and 7 kilograms of vegetables.
The inspections also resulted in the seizure of 72 kilograms of meat and fish at Taj Yeshwantpur, 19 kilograms of meat at Four Seasons Hotel and 15 kilograms of meat at Shangri-La Bengaluru. Officials also seized 3 kilograms of expired bakery products at Vivanta Bengaluru Whitefield.
FDA Commissioner Srinivas K said the agency was carrying out inspections of hotel kitchens, warehouses and centralized kitchens, with a focus on food safety and hygiene.
The inspection teams were instructed to use the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India checklist. They collected mutton, chicken, fish and other non-vegetarian food samples for laboratory analysis and checked menu calorie information, centralized kitchens, meat storage, cold-storage units and temperature-control systems.
Officials also checked whether hotels were separating raw and cooked food, preventing cross-contamination and maintaining the cold chain. Teams ordered hotels to dispose of expired and substandard food, including milk, found in their kitchens.
Khader said inspectors found imported meat from Denmark at one hotel and questioned its freshness and quality.
He urged hotel owners to put food safety ahead of profits.
“People pay for the food they eat. Don’t serve them food that lands them in the ICU,” he said, according to the Times. “The consumers have a right to know the source and freshness of food served by hotels and food chains.”
In July, Karnataka promoted investment opportunities in its tourism sector at the Indian International Travel Mart 2026 in Bengaluru. The initiative includes simplified policies, incentives and faster approvals for tourism projects.
