The Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s food safety department has inspected restaurants and sweet shops ahead of Durga Puja, collecting six food samples, issuing 11 notices and destroying about 250 kg of food during inspections across several parts of the city.
The campaign was conducted to ensure that food sold to the public during the festival complied with safety, hygiene and quality requirements. Teams working under the direct supervision of a designated KMC officer inspected 17 food business operators in areas around KMC headquarters, Ward 46 and parts of Boroughs V, VI and VII, according to a report by Sanmarg.
The six surveillance samples collected during the drive included laddoos, fish fry, boiled potatoes, marinated chicken and chicken kathi kebabs. The report said 11 notices were issued under Section 38 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. Around 250 kg of different food items was also removed and destroyed during the inspections.
The enforcement action was accompanied by instructions to food business operators on storage, labelling and record-keeping. Businesses were told to use packaged raw food products carrying the prescribed Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI, labels. They were also directed to place date tags on raw and semi-prepared food stored in refrigerators and to display valid FSSAI licences prominently.
KMC officials further instructed establishments to retain bills, invoices and other records related to food purchases. Prepared and semi-prepared food kept for human consumption was required to be covered. These directions place responsibility on food businesses not only for the condition of food at the point of sale but also for traceability and storage practices inside their premises.
A separate pre-Durga Puja inspection was carried out in restaurants in Hatibagan and Hedua under Borough II. The establishments listed for inspection included Basanta Cabin, Blossom, Mushroom, Fatso’s, Poopie’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.
The Borough II operation resulted in two notices under Section 38 of the Food Safety and Standards Act and one refrain notice. The report did not provide details of the specific violations associated with individual establishments, the results of the collected samples or the next enforcement steps for the businesses that received notices.
For Kolkata’s municipal system, the campaign illustrates the enforcement workload that rises during major festivals, when restaurants, sweet shops and other food businesses serve larger numbers of residents and visitors. The immediate focus of the reported inspections was compliance with food safety rules, licensing, storage, labelling and documentation. KMC’s food safety department has not, in the supplied report, announced a final outcome for the six samples or a wider schedule for inspections after the campaign.
