Hyderabad food safety officials inspected The Joint Al Mandi in Madhapur after a diner alleged that he found a small, decayed tooth-like object in a mutton mandi dish on Wednesday. Officials collected food and meat samples for laboratory testing and said legal action would be considered after the report is examined.
The diner, Shyam Prasad, was eating with a friend at the restaurant when he noticed the object in his food, according to a report by Times of India. Prasad alleged that restaurant staff initially told him it could be a mutton bone. He said the staff later acknowledged that it appeared to be a human tooth after he and his friend insisted that it be checked.
Prasad told the newspaper that the restaurant offered complimentary food after the exchange. He and his friend left the premises, but Prasad said he later fell sick and vomited. The duo then contacted the food safety department, following which officials arrived at the restaurant several hours later.
Madhapur food safety officer Niharika inspected the kitchen and the meat stored in the restaurant’s refrigerator, according to the report. Officials reportedly observed that some food handlers had missing teeth and cavities. Those observations, however, did not establish how the object entered the dish or confirm that it was a human tooth.
The inspection also highlighted a gap in the available evidence. The restaurant did not have cameras installed in its kitchen, making it difficult for officials to determine how the object could have entered the food during preparation or handling. The collected samples are expected to provide the next basis for determining whether the object was part of the food served and whether any food-safety violation occurred.
“We have inspected the kitchen and meat stored in the refrigerator and collected samples for laboratory testing. We will examine them and send a report to the additional collector before taking legal action accordingly. The restaurant could face a hefty fine,” Niharika was quoted as saying.
The case now depends on the laboratory findings and the report submitted to the additional collector. Until those steps are completed, the identity of the object and the circumstances in which it entered the dish remain unconfirmed.
