Expired Items, Bed Bug Powder Beside Food: Raids At 64 Bengaluru PGs

Bengaluru: Amid ongoing crackdowns, the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration conducted a special inspection drive across 64 paying guest (PG) accommodations in and around Bengaluru and issued notices to 23 of them over violations.Officials seized expired curd, rice flour, bisibele bath powder, synthetic food colour, black pepper and misbranded food items from some PGs.At Nandana Elite PG in Bommasandra, bed bug powder was found on the dining table alongside food. Following that, the dining area was sealed over hygiene violationsThe special inspections were conducted following complaints over poor food quality and hygiene in the PG accommodations.The food regulator also collected 12 food samples from the PGs for laboratory testing.Over the past two months, food safety officials have conducted multiple raids across hotels, restaurants, quick commerce dark stores, manufacturing units and other places, during which several violations and deficiencies were found.The Karnataka health department last week had ordered the suspension of food licences issued to e-commerce platforms Amazon, Instamart and BigBasket over the online sale of poisonous datura fruits and seeds for human consumption.The department had found that datura fruits and seeds were being displayed for sale on various e-commerce platforms, in some cases with FSSAI licence or registration numbers, despite the products being toxic and posing a serious risk to human health if consumed.Last week, the Karnataka government held a high-level meeting with top representatives of the Karnataka State Hotels Association and leading hotel owners, during which state health minister UT Khader reiterated the importance of food hygiene and quality.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)