After inspecting five star hotels and club kitchens, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) officials turned towards Paying Guest (PG) accommodations located across rural and urban areas in Bengaluru on Friday.

As many as 64 PGs were inspected, and 23 PG owners were issued notices for failing to meet the food safety standards, while one PG dining area was sealed.

The officials stated that they examined various food safety aspects as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011 and Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. This included the method of preparation and storage of food, shelf life of prepared food, hygiene of kitchens, quality of ingredients, storage of raw materials and labelling of food articles.

As many as 12 food samples were collected and sent for laboratory analysis. In some PGs, expired curd, bisibele bath powder and rice flour, along with synthetic food colour were found to be in use, and such food articles were seized.

During the inspection of Nandana Elite PG, Bommasandra, bed bugs powder was found on the dining table along with food articles. Further, unused and old materials were dumped near the drinking water area in the PG. Due to overall unhygienic conditions, the dining area was sealed.

All PG owners and persons engaged in handling food have been instructed to strictly comply with the rules relating to food safety and hygiene. The department has directed that food articles shall be stored safely, quality raw materials should be used, proper hygiene should be maintained in kitchens and food preparation areas, and expired food articles should be disposed.

Bhaskar Reddy, president, PG Owners’ Welfare Association in Bengaluru, said, “Last time, when the Health Minister warned PG owners to maintain hygiene and food safety standards, we created awareness not to store items for long time in fridge, use fresh vegetables and meat, and take pest control measures and maintain cleanliness. Most of the owners are following them, but there are a few low budget PGs who may not be following these rules. At present, 4,200 owners have registered with our association while there might be more than 30,000 PGs in the city.”