The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has intensified food-safety inspections across restaurants and sweet shops ahead of Durga Puja, examining 17 food businesses, collecting six samples and removing around 250 kilograms of food for destruction, according to a report by Sanmarg – Kolkata.
The inspections were conducted by teams from the KMC Food Safety Department in areas around the civic headquarters, Ward 46 and parts of Boroughs V, VI and VII. The campaign is intended to ensure that food sold to residents during the festival meets safety, hygiene and quality requirements.
The samples collected during the inspections included laddoo, fish fry, boiled potatoes, marinated chicken and chicken kati kebab. KMC officials also issued 11 notices under Section 38 of the Food Safety and Standards Act during the inspections in these areas. The report did not identify the establishments from which the food slated for destruction was collected or specify the individual reasons for each notice.
Food business operators were instructed to use only packaged raw food products carrying the prescribed Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI, labelling. They were also directed to place date tags on raw and semi-prepared food stored in refrigerators, prominently display valid FSSAI licences and retain purchase bills, invoices and other records linked to food procurement.
The civic department further instructed establishments to keep all prepared and semi-prepared food intended for human consumption covered. These requirements place responsibility not only on restaurants and sweet shops but also on their storage and procurement systems, where lapses can affect food quality before it reaches customers.
A separate inspection was carried out in restaurants in Hatibagan and Hedua under Borough II. The establishments listed in the report included Basanta Cabin, Blossom, Mushroom, Fatso’s, Poopy’s Fast Food, Capri, Adiraj Ice and Cakes, Adiraj Momo, Deepshikha, Calcutta Hindu Hotel, Cinnamon Cafe and Coffee Day Global Limited. The inspection list also mentioned Ryan Mallik and Sanjay Mallik in connection with Fatso’s.
Two notices were issued under Section 38 during this Borough II operation, and one refrain notice was served. A refrain notice directs a food business operator to stop or refrain from a specified activity, although the report does not provide further details about the activity involved or the period of restriction.
The inspections come before a festival period when restaurants, sweet shops and temporary food outlets typically see increased demand. KMC’s stated focus in the campaign is compliance with food-safety standards, including licensing, traceability of purchases, cold-storage labelling and protection of prepared food from contamination. The report does not state whether the collected samples will undergo laboratory testing or whether further action will follow after test results are received.
