Food courts under food safety department scanner in TN

CHENNAI: After several incidents of violations by shops inside the food court of a popular mall in the city, food safety department officials have instructed the food courts to ensure that safety regulations are followed regularly or strict action will be taken against them.

Newly-opened roadside eateries and late night food courts are next on the list for surprise inspections and raids. The mushrooming food outlets are attracting a good number of customers but are not adhering to the food safety norms.

"More shops have been opened in recent years, especially after a lot of eateries remained closed during the pandemic. Though most of them hold licence to run the place, we receive complaints from the public that the food materials used are of substandard quality, reuse of cooking oil, use of adulterated ingredients and cleanliness is the major challenge," said an official from the food safety department.

The food safety department is undertaking surprise raids at the food outlets and shutting down the restaurants in case of violations. "We are inspecting the food outlets in case the complaints are raised and instructions will be given to completely shut down the place if violations are reported. The food courts are getting popular but people should be vary of the way and conditions in which it is cooked. We will take strict action in case of violations," said designated food safety officer Dr Satheesh Kumar.

The four shops in the mall inspected last week were issued a warning after it was found that they have violated the food safety norms. The shops have been asked to submit a report post rectification after they were issued with a warning.