Alcohol use in plum cakes without license: VACS Pastries, Karkhana under scrutiny
Hyderabad: On December 3, 2024, the Telangana State Commissioner of Food Safety’s Task Force conducted surprise inspections at two food establishments in the city, Monginis Cake Shop in Alwal and VACS Pastries (Bakery) in Karkhana, Secunderabad. The inspections revealed several violations of food safety norms and regulations at both locations.
Food safety officials discovered numerous issues related to hygiene and storage at Monginis Cake Shop in Machha Bollaram, Alwal. The FSSAI license was not displayed at a prominent location, and the storage conditions were inadequate.
Packing materials and some food products were improperly stored on the ground and steps. Furthermore, the vessels used for cake preparation were found to be mouldy and unsanitary. In addition, rat feces were observed at several places in the storage area, raising contamination concerns.
Task force team has conducted inspections in Alwal area on 03.12.2024.
๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ, ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ, ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐น
* FSSAI license not displayed at prominent location.
* Storage is not adequate and packing material and some other products wereโฆ pic.twitter.com/dswW18HUrx
โ Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana (@cfs_telangana) January 4, 2025
A live cockroach infestation was noted throughout the manufacturing unit, and the air conditioning unit in the cold room was leaking, which posed a risk of contaminating food items stored in trays.
Employee health records and FoSTaC certificates were missing, raising questions about worker safety and training. Several expired products were found on the premises, including Kesar Syrup (5L), Butter, flavor compounds (5 kgs), pineapple flavor (5kg), Vanilla Flavour (0.5kg), and desiccated Coconut Powder (8 kgs), with expiration dates ranging from June 2024 to September 2022.
The bakeryโs walls and ceilings were patchy, with flaking paint. Refrigerators were maintained in unhygienic conditions and littered with food waste. Several food items were stored in unhygienic plastic drums. Additionally, the bakery operated seven chiller vehicles for transporting goods without the necessary licenses.
In Secunderabad, the inspection of VACS Pastries (Bakery) in Karkhana revealed several hygiene, labeling, and product handling violations.
๐ฉ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ (๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐), ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ, ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฑ
03.12.2024* Water analysis reports and Medical Records of food handlers were not available. No FoSTaC trained personnel available.
* Alcohol (Rum) is being used to prepare plum cakes withoutโฆ pic.twitter.com/f5LVbUpqxu
โ Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana (@cfs_telangana) January 4, 2025
The bakery was found to be operating without water analysis reports or medical records for food handlers. No FoSTaC-trained personnel were present, and alcohol (rum) was being used to prepare plum cakes without excise permission, which was also not disclosed on the product label.
The bakery’s preparation vessels were found to be mouldy, and fruit pulp, made by mixing dry fruits and jam, was stored in plastic drums without proper labeling.
The bakery claimed the pulp could be used for up to six months, but there were no details regarding the date of preparation or the best-before date. In terms of labeling, several products, including plum cakes, biscuits, and bread, were missing critical information such as the FSSAI license, manufacturing address, FSSAI logo, Veg/Non-Veg logo, ingredient list, nutritional information, and batch numbers.
In addition to labeling issues, food and non-food items, such as chemicals and semi-prepared food, were found stored together, increasing the risk of contamination. Some food items in the refrigerator were uncovered and lacked proper labels, and no temperature records were maintained to ensure proper storage conditions.
