Expired chicken, 68 kg meat seized at Mysuru hotels; KFC raided in Mangaluru

Karnataka is stepping up checks at hotels, restaurants and other food outlets - and inspectors are finding plenty to worry about.

More than 1,000 kg of unsafe food items have been seized in recent inspections across the state. The crackdown has uncovered expired food, rotten vegetables, fungal contamination and poor meat-storage practices.

The latest inspections were carried out in Mysuru on Saturday.

Mysuru Hotels Under Scanner

At the Rio Meridian Hotel, food safety officials seized 9 kg of chicken after finding that it had crossed its expiry date.

At the Grand Mercure Hotel, officials seized 68 kg of meat. Another 4 kg of mushrooms were confiscated from Q Star Hotel.

Inspections at three resorts in Mysuru and Nanjangud taluks resulted in three notices being issued.

Officials also collected five food samples for laboratory testing. Two were legal samples, and three were survey samples.

Around 16 kg of expired and perishable food was discarded during the inspections.

KFC Outlet Checked After Consumer Complaint

The crackdown has also reached Mangaluru.

Food safety officials conducted a surprise inspection at a KFC outlet at City Centre on K.S. Rao Road after a customer complained about a Chicken Peri Peri Leg ordered online.

The customer alleged that the food tasted stale and was unfit for consumption.

Officials checked the outlet's kitchen, storage areas, cold rooms, freezers and cooked food stocks.

Bengaluru Hotels Also Face Checks

The inspections have been taking place across Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mangaluru.

Officials said checks at three-star and five-star hotels found expired food products, rotten vegetables, fungal contamination and improper meat storage.

In Bengaluru Urban district alone, food safety teams recently inspected 60 three-star and five-star hotels and collected 77 food samples for laboratory testing.

The inspections have also covered food outlets inside government complexes such as Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha and Arogya Soudha.

Some of these facilities were found to have unhygienic food-handling practices, inadequate pest control and expired ingredients.

The food safety drive has not been limited to hotels and restaurants.

Quick-commerce storage centres and community feeding facilities, including some Indira Canteens, have also been inspected.

Some establishments received notices, while others faced closure orders over sanitation deficiencies.

The campaign is aimed at enforcing the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related licensing rules.

Food businesses have been told to maintain proper temperature control, sanitation, and waste-disposal systems.