Expired food, rotten vegetables found at Hyderabad Instakart facility
HYDERABAD: A food safety inspection at M/s Instakart Services Pvt Ltd on Panjeshah Road, Chowk Mohammad Khan, Pathergatti, Hyderabad, found expired food products, rotten vegetables, damaged milk packets and poor storage and sanitation practices.
Officials found compounded asafoetida powder sold under the LG brand Hing. They also found expired cut fruits, ID idly and dosa batter, Happilo cashews and Nandini ghee at the facility.
Freezer contained leaking and spoiled dairy products
Officials found rotten and spoiled vegetables, including brinjal, in the packaged vegetable section. They also found several soiled, leaking and damaged milk packets.
The inspection team found swollen milk-product and tetrapack packages, which indicated possible spoilage. The freezer temperature stood at around -16.4°C.
Leaking or spoiled cheese, milk, oil and ice-cream products were also found inside the freezer. Officials flagged the risk of cross-contamination from the spoiled products.
Poor sanitation and stock rotation practices
The inspection team found rusted and damaged storage shelves and advised maintenance. Workers also stored food products along with non-food items, showing poor segregation.
Food residues, dust and dirt covered racks, shelves and nearby areas. The facility did not maintain or produce proper cleaning and deep-cleaning records during the inspection.
Officials also found that the facility did not properly follow FIFO (first in, first out) and FEFO (first expired, first out) stock rotation practices.
Officials segregated and discarded the damaged, expired, spoiled and unfit food items on the spot. The inspection team recommended issuing an improvement notice and suspending the food licence.
