Gurgaon: A recent incident at PAUL where a customer found a live worm inside a sandwich, and inspections by food regulator FSSAI in different cities, have brought focus on hygiene.But how seriously does govt take it? Gurgaon, for example, has a food safety officer who is also responsible for four other districts — Faridabad, Nuh, Rewari and Sonipat — raising questions over the department’s ability to conduct regular inspections across such a large jurisdiction.The state’s staffing situation points to a significant gap between sanctioned strength and the number of officers currently handling field responsibilities. Of Haryana’s 45 sanctioned posts for food safety officers (FSOs), 27 are currently filled on deputation, according to the food department. However, 11 of these officers are awaiting posting, while another 11 completed their on-the-job training on Aug 19 and are awaiting certification from FSSAI before they can be notified. This effectively brings down officials on field to five.This leaves five FSOs currently posted at Hisar, Rewari, Jhajjar, Kurukshetra and Karnal to handle field responsibilities. Officers posted in these districts have also been given additional charge of districts without an FSO.In Gurgaon, for instance, the FSO from Rewari has been given charge of four additional districts — Gurgaon, Faridabad, Nuh and Sonipat — meaning the officer is responsible for five districts in all. The arrangement has raised questions about the department’s ability to conduct regular inspections across such a large jurisdiction.A senior official from the food department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the shortage has directly affected ground-level inspections.“There are no regular or frequent inspections being carried out in the districts. In most cases, the team is able to act only when a complaint reaches the department and the concerned official gets information about it. Surprise inspections of kitchens, routine checks of food establishments and proactive action against adulteration become difficult when one officer is responsible for several districts,” the official said.FSOs also have to attend court cases and handle other departmental responsibilities, further reducing the time available for field inspections, the official added.“The officers have to manage court-related work along with complaints and other departmental responsibilities. When one officer is given charge of multiple districts, it is practically difficult to maintain regular field presence everywhere,” the official said.Several residents said concerns over food quality and hygiene have also shown up in their own experiences.“Over the years, I have had several disturbing experiences with food quality at restaurants and outlets in the city. Once, I received chicken that was stale, half-cooked and inedible, while on another occasion, I found a piece of glass in dal tadka. I have also come across repeated concerns about insects in bakery products, while sweets bought for gifting were found covered with fungus and had to be discarded, causing a financial loss. What is more disappointing is the lack of even a basic apology or accountability from some establishments,” said Adarsh Vir Singh.Guraman Singh, who returned to India from Hong Kong in Oct 2025, said his experience after returning had raised concerns about food hygiene.“Returning from Hong Kong, I was eager to indulge in India’s food scene, but that dining quickly left me with severe bloating, sweating, and gut inflammation. Then I realised behind the rich flavours lies an alarming reality of stale ingredients, unchecked hygiene, compromised supply chains, and other cost-saving measures which are so harmful for our life,” he said.Haryana health minister Aarti Singh Rao, however, said food safety remained a govt priority and that the department was taking steps to address the staffing shortage.“The demand to fill all 45 posts has already been sent to Haryana Public Service Commission on Aug 12 and we expect the regular recruitment process to be completed within about a year. Until then, additional charge has been given to FSOs in districts with vacancies to ensure inspections and enforcement continue without interruption,” she said.Rao said the state had continued inspections and special drives against adulteration despite the staffing constraints. Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, Haryana collected 14,211 food samples, of which 11,486 met prescribed standards while 2,725 — about 19% — failed to meet the required standards.She said regular inspections and special drives against adulteration were being carried out, particularly for milk and milk products, sweets, ghee, khoya, paneer, edible oils, spices and packaged drinking water.In Gurgaon, Rao said, the FSO from Rewari has currently been given additional charge. She added that Rationalisation Commission has recommended increasing the sanctioned strength of food safety officers in Gurgaon and other parts of the state.
