The Telangana High Court has ordered statewide food safety checks covering restaurants, hotels, bakeries, sweet shops, meat and fish outlets, supermarkets, street food stalls and other food businesses, directing authorities to enforce the law uniformly across establishments of every size and location.
The court directed the commissioner of food safety to instruct all district food safety officers and designated officers to strictly implement the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, along with the rules and regulations framed under it. The directions were issued during the hearing of a petition filed by a food business operator challenging the suspension of its licence.
Authorities have been ordered to identify food businesses operating without valid licences or registrations and initiate action in accordance with the law. The court also directed officials to conduct regular inspections, collect food samples and act against adulterated, expired and contaminated products.
The state government informed the court that the licences of more than 17 food business operators had already been suspended following inspections. It also told the court that similar action would be taken against other establishments found violating food safety requirements.
The directions place responsibility on the food safety administration across all districts rather than limiting enforcement to selected establishments or particular localities. The court stressed that inspections must be continuous, fair, transparent and non-discriminatory, irrespective of the size or location of a food business.
The court also directed authorities to establish an effective mechanism to receive and address public complaints about unsafe or unhygienic food. This expands the enforcement task beyond periodic inspections by requiring an administrative response to complaints raised by residents and consumers.
The case has brought licensing, registration, inspection and complaint handling within a single compliance framework. Businesses selling food will be subject to checks on their legal authorisation as well as the condition and safety of the products being sold.
The court observed that food safety involves public health, fundamental rights and statutory responsibility. It directed the commissioner of food safety to submit a comprehensive compliance report within eight weeks, providing the next formal milestone for assessing how the statewide directions have been implemented.
