Bengaluru: Over the past two months, after hundreds of restaurants came under the scanner of the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA), hospitality establishments have stepped up compliance efforts, including internal audits and employee training, to ensure adherence to hygiene and food safety regulations.Many restaurants, including five-star establishments, have also changed the criteria for hiring staff and increased training periods.“We’ve seen that when a person joins, the number of training days has increased drastically. There has been at least a delay of 5-7 days in some cases because they undergo additional training to ensure everything is in place before start of work. However, this is not the case in quick-service and chain restaurants because of their systemised processes,” said Ramvaibhav Kumaran, CEO of Recipeat, a restaurant staffing platform.He said five-star hotels are also seeking more from the educational institutes from which they hire their workforce. “A lot of the new workforce joining them consists of people who have received proper hospitality education, such as students from the Institute of Hotel Management. They are now conducting additional checks to assess how well candidates understand and have retained hygiene protocols, including food-safety standards and cross-contamination.”Staff familiar with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines are increasingly sought after, while FSSAI training is becoming the norm in restaurants. “We’ve amped up our checks and balances, and reinforced them with multiple training sessions and random audits so that we don’t drop the ball. Trained professionals from FSSAI are coming in to train our staff, and if we are doing something incorrectly, that is also being corrected this way,” said Amit Roy, director and founding partner, Shilton Hospitality, Hotels and Restaurants. “We want staffers who are more aware of hygiene guidelines, and if someone has good knowledge of FSSAI rules, then it is a great add-on,” he said.Digital records helpRestaurateurs said digital record-keeping has also helped ensure expired products are discarded on time from kitchens and stockrooms.“Many restaurants had already digitised the indenting process, which helps track the products coming into stores every day. Many are now strengthening their digital logs to keep track of all products. They are also doubling down on electronic records of raw materials and production batches,” said Prathima Manohar, a hospitality consultant.Restaurant owners have also observed that food safety drives taking centre stage on social media in recent months have made customers more aware of restaurant operations. “Customers are now more aware of hygiene and proper food-handling practices, among other things. For us, ensuring good practices is no longer just about regulatory compliance anymore; it is about building long-term trust among customers. Dedicated food safety and compliance staff are no longer optional, but mandatory. The industry is moving in the right direction. We continue to look for people who are well-qualified and come from strong educational backgrounds for these roles,” said Priyanka Rudrappa, co-founder and CEO of Cafe Amudham.Despite these measures, experts say there is still considerable room for improvement. “While we’re seeing some changes, there’s still a long way to go. The biggest challenge is that hospitality is a high-attrition industry, and restaurants are often focused on getting people on the floor quickly rather than ensuring proper training and due diligence. Smaller restaurants, in particular, need to strengthen their HR processes, background checks and training around food safety and hygiene protocols,” Kumaran said.
