Following food safety lapses across Karnataka establishments, Health Dept. to hold meeting with representatives

The Karnataka Health Department will soon hold a meeting with representatives of clubs, hotels, canteens and other food establishments following several food-safety violations found during a special inspection drive in Bengaluru, Health Minister U.T. Khader said on Wednesday (August 26, 2026). The meeting is expected to be held within a week, with the government planning to issue standard operating procedures (SOPs) on kitchen hygiene, food storage and safety. The department also plans to provide training to hotel managements, kitchen staff and caterers on food-safety practices.

The Minister said the inspections would not be restricted to any particular category of establishment or section of society.

“Whether it is a club, hotel, restaurant, canteen or a small hotel, food safety concerns everyone. Human beings are all the same,” Mr. Khader said.

Notices served

Earlier, addressing presspersons, the Minister shared details about the Food Safety and Drug Administration’s inspections at eight prominent clubs in Bengaluru and within the GBA limits on Tuesday.

The clubs inspected were Century Club, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Club, Bowring Club, Catholic Club, Tennis Club, Vijayanagara Club, Mahalakshmi Layout Club and Malleswaram Club. Notices were issued to all the clubs where violations were found.

Cockroach infestations

Officials found cockroach infestations and unhygienic conditions at Bowring and Century clubs. At the KSCA Club, inspectors found deficiencies in personal hygiene, use of plastic cutting boards, a blocked drainage system, food-labelling violations and improper storage of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The frozen storage area also lacked cleanliness and there was no hot water facility for washing utensils.

At the Catholic Club, officials found cockroach infestation, food-labelling violations and 10 packets of expired mushroom products. The Tennis Club did not have medical certificates for its food-handling staff, while violations relating to food labelling, cleanliness and sanitation were found at the Vijayanagara, Mahalakshmi Layout and Malleswaram clubs.

Samples of drinking water and used cooking oil that appeared suspicious were collected and sent to the Government Food Laboratory. Further action will be based on the laboratory reports.

Mr. Khader said club managements should focus on the hygiene and safety of their kitchens rather than other matters concerning their premises. and dress code.

Training planned

He said the government would train heads of the respective associations, street vendors and all hoteliers for three days on food-safety and hygiene practices and require them to follow the guidelines strictly. This will be done under a CSR initiative by Nestle.

Mr. Khader said the inspection drive would continue across hotels, clubs, restaurants and canteens. A barcode-based complaint mechanism has also been introduced, allowing members of the public to report suspected food-safety violations directly.