Karnataka Issues Strict Food Safety Advisory For Eateries After Raids

On Tuesday, August 11, Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drug Administration Department issued a comprehensive advisory directing all hotels, dhabas, restaurants, and food service establishments across the state to strictly comply with food safety and hygiene regulations. The directive follows intensive state-level inspections that uncovered expired food products and unhygienic conditions at various establishments, including several star hotels.

The department warned that legal action will be initiated under food safety laws against operators found violating standards regarding expired food, contamination, unsafe water, or poor hygiene. Establishments are required to strictly follow mandatory guidelines covering food preparation, storage, staff hygiene, transportation, water quality, public toilet facilities, pest control, and waste management.

Under the new guidelines, cooking areas must remain clean, properly managed, and well-ventilated. Establishments must use separate sinks for washing raw food and cleaning utensils. To prevent cross-contamination, vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations must be kept separate, utilizing dedicated chopping boards, knives, and equipment. All raw materials must be procured from reliable sources, checked regularly for quality, and stored at proper temperatures, with cold food maintained below 5°C, hot food above 60°C, and frozen items at -18°C or lower.

The advisory mandates high personal hygiene standards for food handlers, who must wear clean uniforms, head covers, and protective gear. Eateries must maintain valid medical fitness records for kitchen staff, conduct regular hygiene training, and refrain from reusing cooking oil, which must be disposed of through authorized channels.

Food business operators must also ensure that only safe, potable water is used for cooking and cleaning, with records kept of regular water-quality testing. Establishments must provide customers free access to clean toilets equipped with water, soap, and hot water facilities. In addition, premises must undergo regular pest control, keep covered waste bins, immediately discard expired or spoiled food, and prominently display their food licences.