The canteen at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai has been shut after the Food Safety Department suspended its licence over unhygienic kitchen conditions, improper food storage and poor staff hygiene. Sale of food will remain stopped until the canteen management completes corrective measures and passes a further inspection.
The action follows complaints about food quality and hygiene at the government hospital, which is visited daily by thousands of patients and their attendants. The Food Safety Department had earlier inspected the premises and issued an improvement notice, but hospital management did not complete the required rectifications, according to the report.
Officials conducted a fresh inspection after a complaint was received through the chief minister’s grievance cell three days earlier. K Tamil Selvan, designated officer for Chennai, said inspectors found slippery and oily floors, damaged vessels and food stocks that had not been stored properly in freezers.
“Prepared food was not properly covered and visitors were being served under unhygienic conditions,” officials found during the inspection. Staff members were also not wearing gloves or head caps while cooking and serving food, according to the Food Safety Department.
The inspection followed complaints about the quality of food served at the canteen, including allegations involving sambar and half-cooked rice. “There were complaints about the quality of sambar, half-cooked rice, and the overall food quality,” Tamil Selvan said.
The canteen’s licence will be considered for renewal only after the management completes the required corrective work and submits a letter from the hospital administration to the Food Safety Department. Officials will then conduct additional inspections before deciding whether the licence can be restored.
The department also inspected a tea shop operating on the hospital premises and imposed a penalty of ₹10,000 for unhygienic conditions. A further ₹5,000 penalty was imposed for using plastic and newspapers to wrap food served to customers. The tea shop will also receive an improvement notice.
The enforcement action affects food services at a hospital relied on by patients and attendants, many of whom use the premises for meals during treatment and hospital visits. The Food Safety Department’s next inspection and the submission of the hospital administration’s compliance letter will determine when the canteen can resume operations.
