Chennai's RGGGH canteen shut over food safety violations

Chennai: The canteen at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), one of Chennai’s largest government hospitals, has been shut following a Food Safety Department inspection that uncovered serious hygiene and food safety violations. 

The department has suspended the canteen’s licence and prohibited the sale of food until the management carries out the required corrective measures.

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The action followed multiple complaints, including a recent complaint received through the Chief Minister’s Cell. Officials had previously inspected the canteen and issued an improvement notice, but the required rectifications were not carried out, officials said.

During the recent inspection, food safety officials found slippery and oily floors, damaged cooking vessels and food items that had not been stored properly in freezers.

According to TOI, “A complaint was received through the CM Cell three days ago, based on which we conducted an inspection of the hospital canteen kitchen premises. We found unhygienic conditions, including slippery and oily floors, damaged vessels, and food stocks that were not stored properly in freezers,” said K Tamil Selvan, designated officer, Chennai.

Officials also found that prepared food was not adequately covered and that food was being served to customers in unhygienic conditions. Canteen staff were reportedly not wearing gloves or head caps while preparing and serving food, raising concerns over personal hygiene.

Customer feedback was also found to be unsatisfactory, with complaints regarding the quality of the sambar, half-cooked rice and the overall standard of food being served, officials said.

As the canteen allegedly failed to maintain the required hygiene standards despite repeated warnings and an improvement notice, food safety officials suspended its licence until further notice.

The licence will be considered for renewal only after the management completes the required rectification work and submits a letter from the hospital administration. Following this, the Food Safety Department will conduct another inspection.

The authorities also inspected a tea shop operating on the hospital premises and found hygiene-related violations. A Rs 10,000 penalty was imposed for unhygienic conditions, while an additional Rs 5,000 fine was levied for using plastic and newspapers to wrap food items for customers.

An improvement notice is also expected to be issued to the tea shop.

The action is significant as thousands of patients and their attendants visit RGGGH every day, with many relying on the hospital's food facilities.

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