In a major embarrassment to luxury hotels in the national capital, serious food safety and hygiene related lapses have been reported in the inspections conducted by the country’s food safety regulator, Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) at Aerocity Hospitality District.
The two premium hotels which have come under the scanner included Andaz Delhi, a unit of Juniper Hotels, and JW Marriott Aerocity New Delhi, owned by Aria Hotels.
In an official release, FSSAI has said that a team of food inspectors have inspected these hotels and found “serious lapses of food safety and hygiene” by these hotels.
In the case of Andaz Delhi, the lapses included “improper segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, pest activity, poor sanitation, inadequate food handler hygiene and improper food storage practices”, etc. Other lapses include improper temperature control and monitoring, poor waste management practices, structural and maintenance issues in food handling areas, etc.
The food safety agency has reported serious hygiene and sanitation deficiencies in their inspections at JW Marriott Aerocity. These included unclean utensils in food contact surfaces, visible particulate matter in drinking water, inadequate pest control, and presence of cockroaches and fruit flies in the food holding areas.
In the case of JW Marriott Aerocity, the FSSAI inspection team has also found the hotel “carrying out retail and relabeller activities” without proper endorsement of FSSAI Licence.
According to an instagram post by FSSAI, notices have been issued to these hotels for corrective actions under the relevant rules and provisions of the food safety Act.
