A KFC outlet at City Centre Mall on KS Rao Road in Mangaluru faced a surprise inspection after a customer complained about receiving chicken with a foul smell.
Officials inspected the outlet’s kitchen, storeroom and cold-storage facilities before sealing its godown. Food samples collected during the inspection were sent for laboratory testing.
The action followed several other food safety inspections across Karnataka.
Expired meat found at Mysuru hotels
Food safety officials also conducted raids at hotels in Mysuru, where they reportedly seized large quantities of expired meat and other food products.
Officials recovered 9 kg of expired chicken from the three-star Rio Meridian Hotel, while 68 kg of meat was seized from Grand Mercure Hotel. Another four-star? No — the report identified Q Star Hotel as a three-star property, where officials recovered 4 kg of mushrooms.
The inspections were part of the state’s wider drive to check food storage and hygiene standards.
Zepto warehouse sealed in Bengaluru
A warehouse operated by quick-commerce company Zepto in Hoskote, eastern Bengaluru, was also inspected over alleged violations involving food labelling, handling and storage.
The facility was subsequently sealed by the state food safety department.
Meanwhile, inspections at several luxury hotels in Bengaluru reportedly found concerns including unhygienic storage, fungal growth on vegetables and inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
During raids at 26 hotels, officials seized rotten meat, chicken and fish, along with expired bakery products, according to the report.
Rat video puts Blinkit outlet under scanner
In Maharashtra, a Blinkit outlet in Kalyan’s Godrej Hill area attracted attention after a video appeared to show rats moving inside an ice cream freezer.
The incident prompted food safety authorities to inspect the facility.
The Maharashtra FDA has separately carried out inspections at 104 chain restaurant establishments as part of a special drive. According to officials, two establishments were ordered to stop operations, 95 received improvement notices and the licences of five establishments were suspended.
Pizza Hut, Sapphire Foods face action
The Maharashtra FDA has also taken action against food outlets over alleged labelling and quality violations.
A Pizza Hut outlet faced action after officials reportedly found products being sold without expiry dates mentioned on their packaging.
An outlet operated by Sapphire Foods India in Akola also came under scrutiny over the use of frozen paneer and alleged substandard food products.
In Nashik and Mumbai, the FDA suspended 11 food business licences following inspections that reportedly uncovered problems related to hygiene, storage, water supply, ventilation, equipment and pest control.
Officials also issued 54 improvement notices after inspecting 120 establishments.
Separate raids resulted in the seizure of 5,343 kg of alleged substandard dairy products, oil and spices, valued at around ₹9.81 lakh, according to the report.
FSSAI targets misleading product claims
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has also taken action over alleged mislabelling and misleading claims.
According to the report, FSSAI restricted the sale of certain products from Dabur India, including ghee and honey products associated with unverifiable “100%” claims, and issued notices to several alcoholic beverage manufacturers over alleged flavouring-related violations.
On August 2, FSSAI announced restrictions involving select whisky and rum variants, including Old Monk, Royal Challenge, Antiquity Blue and Bagpiper, over alleged violations concerning flavouring practices.
The regulator said some manufacturers were using flavours intended to replicate the drink’s characteristic profile rather than relying on the standard ageing processes and ingredients used to develop taste and aroma.
Food safety inspections expand nationwide
The latest actions underline the growing scrutiny of food businesses across India, from restaurants and hotels to quick-commerce warehouses and packaged-food manufacturers.
With regulators increasing inspections and enforcement, food businesses are facing greater pressure to maintain proper hygiene, storage, labelling, pest-control and food-quality standards.
