Monginis Patisserie: Cockroaches, rat feces and expired food found at Monginis Patisserie | – Times of India

In a major dispersal in food safety violationsJanuary 3, 2025 the task force conducted inspections of bakeries in and around Hyderabad. The audits revealed staggering breaches of hygiene and regulatory compliance, putting public health at significant risk.

Officials discovered rat feces in the outlet’s storeroom Patisserie Monginis at Macha Bollaram, Alwal, while the production unit was teeming with live thrushes. Cake tins and other utensils for making the cake were labeled as “very unhygienic”.

Several expired items, some of which were two years old, consisted of 5 liters of kesar syrup, 5 kg of pineapple flavoring, half a kilogram of vanilla flavoring and 8 kilograms of desiccated coconut powder. Storage space was also found to be inadequate, with packaging materials and foodstuffs stored on the ground and steps.

Structural problems such as peeling walls and ceilings, leaking air conditioner in the cold room and unhygienic refrigerators added to the violations. Leaking air conditioning posed a risk of contamination, while food waste in refrigerators and the use of unhygienic plastic storage barrels further highlighted the unsafe practice. The outlet also failed to prominently display its FSSAI license and did not have employees’ medical records, FoSTaC certificates and required licenses for seven coolers used for transporting goods.

In another inspection, VACS Pastries in Secunderabad was found guilty of using rum in plum cakes without an excise permit or proper disclosure on product labels. The bakery mass — a mixture of dried fruit and jam — was stored in plastic barrels without preparation or expiration dates. Food and non-food items, including chemicals, were stored together, and many food items were not properly labeled and covered in the refrigerator. The bakery did not keep a temperature record, unhygienic equipment was used to prepare the cake.
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Officials found widespread labeling violations for products such as plum cakes, biscuits and bread. The most important details, including the FSSAI logo, manufacturing address, ingredient list, nutritional information and batch numbers, were missing. Moreover, there were no FoSTaC trained staff and critical documents such as water test reports and medical records of food handlers were missing.

These results are serious food safety violations and require a strong enforcement mechanism that can protect the public. This is a wake-up call by a task force for food companies to maintain hygiene and be regulated.

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