15-days old frozen meat found in Barbeque Nation in Vizag
Food safety and standards officials led by food inspector K. Appa Rao and his team conducted raids at Barbeque Nation.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 5 Nov 2020 3:02 PM GMT
Visakhapatnam: The food safety and standards officials led by food inspector K. Appa Rao and his team conducted raids at Barbeque Nation, located in the posh locality of Pandurangapuram in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
They found frozen meat and fish weighing about 40 kg stacked in refrigerators that were being cooked and served to customers. The white and red meat could be 15-days old, the officials said.
Appa Rao said that they have started random checks on popular restaurants and hotels that reopened after the COVID-19 lockdown. He said they have received several complaints that stale food items were being sold to them.
He said after examination, it was found that days-old fish fry, mutton curry, and chicken that were stored in the refrigerator were being cooked. Stale curries were also found in the refrigerator for later use. He said spices infected with fungus were being used. This is because items that were bought before the lockdown that started in March were not replaced.
Meat and fish stored in the deep fridge for days together become stale and food made with them is harmful in many ways, said Appa Rao.
He said that the food samples collected at Barbeque Nation would be sent to laboratories in Hyderabad and based on the reports action would be initiated against the restaurant. He advised people to check the hygiene of the restaurants and the quality of food before ordering.
The inspector said they would continue to check other restaurants and hotels in the city in the coming days.
