Karnataka FDA raids Assembly canteens, cockroaches found on food plates

A canteen inside Karntaka Assembly's Vikas Soudha, which houses ministers' and IAS officers' chambers, was found with serious hygiene violations, including cockroaches on food plates, during a Health Department raid.A canteen inside Vikas Soudha, which houses ministers’ and IAS officers’ chambers, was found with serious hygiene violations.A canteen functioning inside Karnataka Assembly in Bengaluru, which houses the chambers of ministers and many IAS officers, has come under scrutiny after a Health Department raid found hygiene violations, including cockroaches on food plates.The department also raided canteens at Vikas Soudha under Vidhana Soudha (Karnataka Assembly) premises. During the inspections, cockroaches were seen on food plates, raising concerns over the hygiene standards maintained at the canteen.The premises have several hotels where MLAs stay, particularly those who come from outside Bengaluru. The upper floors of the building have rooms for MLAs.The Health Department had found substandard food quality and poor hygiene at an establishment inspected at the Legislators' House. The inspections show that the department has also turned its attention to food establishments operating within government buildings, including premises used by ministers, IAS officers and MLAs.The development comes a day after the Health Department found violations at a canteen functioning inside its own headquarters at Arogya Soudha, which houses the state Health Department headquarters. Officials found that the Arogya Soudha canteen was not being maintained in hygienic conditions and that some food products had crossed their expiry dates.The expired items included idli rava and coconut powder, according to the inspection findings.The inspection team also found that food products were not being stored in accordance with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India guidelines. It also found that the required pest-control measures had not been carried out.Food safety officials on Tuesday inspected three Indira Canteens in Bengaluru and found violations including non-compliant labelling, misbranding and unhygienic food handling conditions, officials said. The central kitchen of the Indira Canteen at Gottigere was subsequently sealed over unhygienic food handling and storage conditions.The department has been conducting such drives as part of special food safety inspections across all zones of Bengaluru Urban District and the Greater Bengaluru Area, covering three-star and five-star hotels to verify compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.Recently, 60 three-star and five-star hotels in Bengaluru Urban District were inspected, and 77 food samples were collected and sent to food laboratories for analysis.- EndsPublished By: Akshat TrivediPublished On: Aug 13, 2026 10:57 IST