Ahmedabad: NID Ahmedabad campus’s mess and ‘BMW’ canteen have failed an independent food safety and hygiene audit, with the report giving the verdict: ‘Fail: critical hazard detected’. Inspectors found “27 non-compliant parameters and 14 active critical hazards” during the audit on Oct 3, initiated directly by Student Activity Council (SAC) after complaints over “food quality, sanitary issues, and students falling ill”.
Auditors found that items had not been stored properly, fire extinguishers had expired and surfaces were covered in grime
The report, a copy of which is with TOI, states the audit was conducted by “licensed food inspectors Dilip Thakkar and Bhaskar Sharma, authorised by the deputy registrar and witnessed by boys’ and girls’ hostel wardens”. Students too submitted photographic evidence of “foreign contaminants hidden inside dining hall meals, ranging from insects and stones to plastic pieces and debris”. Out of the 42 parameters evaluated, only seven met basic safety standards, resulting in an average “rating of 0.64 on a 5-point scale,” states the report.Senior NID officials could not be contacted despite several attempts on Wednesday evening.Inspectors recorded severe seepage on walls and roofs. They noted that the “store area has gaps in ceiling”, and that there was no commercial exhaust hood system. Also, “all high walls, gas pipelines and electrical conduits are covered with grease and fat, which is fire and pest hazard”.The report states that raw ingredients were placed and cooking took place on the floor level. “Cooking activities should not be done on the floor level,” the report states. The audit found open food packets almost everywhere in storage, kitchen and dining area.One packet of expired curd was found; the walk-in cooler had no light; broken eggs were found on the floor; and vegetables were stored in the non-veg walk-in, the report states. It adds, “Live pests and feces of pests like rats, lizard was found in the kitchen”. Inspectors found unmeshed wall openings and that pest control was undertaken “only once in a month…the frequency is desired four times a month”.No running hot water arrangement was found in the dishwashing areas and utensils and tableware were being washed using detergent meant for clothes and dusters. Staff mattresses were found stored inside active cooking areas; all fire extinguishers had expired. Grease-slicked dining floors caused auditors to record that “inspecting auditors slipped four-five times”.
