Hyderabad:Inspections conducted by the state food safety task force on Friday revealed violations at two well-known bakeries, Monginis cake shop in Alwal and Vac’s Pastries in Kharkhana, Secunderabad, including rat faeces in the former and liquor being used in cakes without excise permission in the latter.
At the Monginis cake shop in Machabolaram, inspectors found several breaches of hygiene and safety standards. The bakery had failed to display its FSSAI license prominently and storage conditions were inadequate, with packing materials and food products stored directly on the ground and steps.
Mould vessels used in cake preparation were in a highly unhygienic state, while rat faeces and live cockroach infestations were discovered in the storage area. The AC unit in the cold room was leaking, posing a contamination risk to food stored there.
Employee health records and mandatory food safety training and certification (FoSTaC) documents were unavailable. Inspectors also found several expired ingredients, including kesar syrup, butter and various flavour compounds, some of which had expired as far back as September 2022. The walls and ceilings of the facility were in a deteriorating condition, with flaking particles presenting further contamination risks. Refrigerators were unclean and food articles were being stored in unhygienic plastic drums. Moreover, seven chiller vehicles used for transportation were operating without licenses.
At Vac’s Pastries in Kharkhana, the task force observed the absence of water analysis reports, medical records of food handlers and trained FoSTaC personnel. Alcohol, specifically rum, was being used in the preparation of plum cakes without the necessary excise permission, and the ingredient was not disclosed on product labels. Inspectors also noted that bulk preparations of dry fruit and jam pulp used in cakes were stored in plastic drums without proper labelling or details of preparation and expiry dates.
The bakery was found in violation of labelling requirements for food items, including plum cakes, biscuits and bread. These products lacked information such as the FSSAI license number, manufacturing address, ingredient details, nutritional information, batch numbers, and veg/non-veg logos. Food and non-food items, including chemicals, were stored together, while some food items in refrigerators were uncovered, unlabelled, and not maintained at regulated temperatures.
