Surat: Zonal teams of the Surat Municipal Corporation’s health department inspected 157 food establishments across the city over two days, destroying 328kg of substandard food and collecting fines totalling Rs 4.64 lakh as part of a food safety and hygiene drive.The inspections, conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, covered basic hygiene and food safety compliance, including infrastructure, water quality, raw materials used for cooking, health check-ups and fitness of food-handling staff, and waste disposal practices.During the two-day drive, 87 establishments were issued notices for deficiencies and asked to comply with the required standards. Teams also collected 72 food samples for further analysis.On Thursday, the second day of the drive, teams inspected 73 establishments and issued notices to 48 of them. They collected 33 food samples and destroyed 135kg of poor-quality food. Fines totalling Rs 1.87 lakh were collected during the day’s action.On Wednesday, teams inspected 84 establishments, issuing notices to 54 of them. They collected 39 food samples, destroyed 193kg of substandard food and collected fines worth Rs 2.77 lakh.As part of the inspections, establishments were also asked to make arrangements for customers to view food preparation through live video systems, aimed at improving transparency and awareness about hygiene practices.The SMC said the inspections are part of its ongoing monitoring of food safety and sanitation standards across the city.
