Food Safety Violations at VACS Pastries Bakery Kharkhana, Secunderabad

One of the most findings was the absence of water analysis reports and medical records for food handlers, which are essential for ensuring that workers adhere to hygiene standards. Additionally, there were no Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) trained personnel on-site, further exacerbating the lack of compliance with food safety protocols.

The bakery was also found to be using alcohol (Rum) in the preparation of its plum cakes, a practice that is illegal without excise permission. To make matters worse, the alcohol usage was not disclosed on the product's labeling, a violation of transparency regulations for food products.

Further inspection of the bakery’s kitchen revealed unhygienic conditions with mouldy vessels used in cake preparation, raising concerns about contamination. Moreover, a bulk preparation of pulp for cakes, made by mixing dry fruits and jam, was found to be stored in plastic drums. While the food business operator (FBO) stated that the preparation could last for up to six months, no information regarding the preparation date or best-before date was available, violating basic storage and labeling guidelines.

Additionally, several labeling and display violations were noted across all food items, including plum cakes, biscuits, and bread. The bakery failed to display essential information such as the FSSAI license, manufacturing address, the FSSAI logo, and the Veg/Non-Veg logo. Furthermore, ingredients, nutritional information, and batch numbers were not included on the packaging, leaving consumers in the dark about the product's contents and traceability.

The inspection also revealed serious storage issues, with food and non-food items like chemicals and semi-prepared food articles being stored together. Some food items found in refrigerators were uncovered and lacked proper labeling, and there were no temperature records maintained for the stored items, which is crucial for ensuring food safety.