Bengaluru’s luxury hospitality sector has come under regulatory scrutiny after the Food Safety Wing of Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare Department conducted a special inspection drive across 26 three-star and five-star hotels in the city. The exercise, carried out by 30 teams of food safety officers, resulted in the collection of 35 food samples for laboratory analysis and the seizure of expired food products.
According to the department, inspections revealed multiple violations, including storage of expired dairy, bakery and meat products, fungal growth on vegetables, improper food handling practices, non-compliance with FSSAI labelling norms, misbranding, and failure to maintain separate storage areas for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items. Samples collected included milk, chicken, mutton, fish, edible oil, spices, cheese and other food products.
Authorities have issued notices to the concerned food business operators and initiated adjudication proceedings under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Further action will depend on laboratory test results.
The development has prompted responses from leading hotel operators. The LaLiT Ashok Bengaluru clarified that the products flagged during inspections were not found to be spoiled or unsafe for consumption, stating that observations related primarily to storage and segregation practices. The hotel added that the milk cited in reports was one day beyond its “best before” date and had already been marked for withdrawal.
Meanwhile, an IHCL spokesperson refuted reports of rotten food at its Bengaluru hotels, stating that no rotten vegetables, fruits, meat or fish were found at Taj or Vivanta properties and that no food samples were collected from its hotels during the inspections.
The inspections come amid heightened regulatory focus on food safety compliance across hospitality establishments, with authorities reiterating that strict action will be taken against operators found violating food safety norms.
