Five Telangana eateries including KFC shut for food safety violations: contamination, pest infestation found

The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) suspended the food safety licences and registrations of five food establishments on 6 November 2026, ordering all five to stop operations immediately in the interest of public health.

The five establishments are: a KFC outlet in Christian Colony, Sawaran Street, Karimnagar (operated by Devyani International Limited); Pista House Restaurant in Muthangi village, Patancheru mandal, Sangareddy district; Ganapathi Hotel Mess and Hostel near Patancheru Bus Stand, Sangareddy; Nawabi Delights in Dhobi Ghat, Madannapet, Hyderabad; and S K Bakers and Fast Food in Ayodhya Nagar Colony, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad. The inspections were part of TG SAFE's regular food safety surveillance programme under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

What the inspectors found

The KFC outlet in Karimnagar drew the most specific technical finding. Inspectors recorded a Total Polar Compounds (TPC) reading of 31 in the oil used for frying French fries and 35.5 in the oil used for frying chicken. TPC is a measure of how far cooking oil has degraded through repeated heating. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) sets a maximum permissible TPC limit of 25 percent for edible oils used in frying. Both readings at the Karimnagar KFC exceeded that limit, meaning the oil was legally unfit for use. Approximately 90 litres of oil was seized from the fryers. Inspectors also noted a foul smell from the thawing area, housefly infestation, and freezers with accumulated dust and food debris.

At Pista House Restaurant in Sangareddy, the violations covered basic hygiene failures: clogged drains and sinks, cockroach infestation, damaged and unclean vessels, and no separation between the washing and cooking areas. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian items were stored in the same refrigerators, and cooked and raw meat were kept together, a practice that creates direct cross-contamination risk. Food handlers worked without gloves. The establishment had no medical certificates for food handlers and no pest-control documentation, both of which are mandatory under FSSAI licensing conditions.

Ganapathi Hotel Mess and Hostel near Patancheru Bus Stand had rat droppings on vegetables and food particles, cockroaches found inside chutney and rice boxes, rotten cabbage, onions and brinjals, fungus in dal stored in the storeroom, and expired food articles. The kitchen had inadequate lighting and ventilation. Water analysis reports and employee health records were absent.

At Nawabi Delights in Dhobi Ghat, Madannapet, inspectors found dust accumulation on equipment and food preparation surfaces, signs of insect infestation inside a refrigerator, and no pest-control or employee health records. Food handlers had no aprons, gloves, or headgear.

S K Bakers and Fast Food in Ayodhya Nagar Colony, Mehdipatnam had expired food articles, prepared rice left uncovered next to a dustbin, and mayonnaise made from raw eggs, which carries a Salmonella risk. The kitchen floor was greasy and infested with houseflies. The refrigerator was poorly maintained, and food handlers wore no protective clothing. Pest-control records and medical fitness certificates were missing.

Why this matters

TPC levels above 25 percent in frying oil are not a minor paperwork issue. Oils degraded to that point contain elevated concentrations of oxidation by-products, including aldehydes and acrylamide precursors, that have been linked in laboratory studies to cellular damage. FSSAI introduced the TPC limit specifically because repeated frying without oil changes is common in high-volume quick-service restaurants. The readings at the Karimnagar KFC (31 and 35.5) were 24 to 42 percent above the legal ceiling.

The cross-contamination failures at Pista House, a brand with significant recognition in Telangana and beyond, are equally serious. Storing raw meat alongside cooked food and keeping vegetarian and non-vegetarian items in the same refrigerator are violations of FSSAI's Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. These are not obscure rules. They appear in the basic food handler training that licence applicants are required to complete.

The absence of pest-control records and medical fitness certificates across multiple establishments points to a systemic gap, not isolated incidents. These documents exist so that regulators can verify ongoing compliance between inspections. When they are missing, there is no audit trail.

What buyers and diners should do

FSSAI licences are publicly searchable through the FoSCoS portal. Any food business operating in India is required to display its licence or registration certificate at the premises. If you cannot see one, or if the displayed licence has expired, that is a red flag you can act on before ordering.

For frying oil specifically, there is no reliable way for a customer to test TPC at the counter. The practical signal is colour and smell: oil that has turned very dark brown or smells rancid has almost certainly exceeded safe TPC levels. At quick-service restaurants, you can ask staff when the oil was last changed, though the answer may not be reliable.

If you witness a food safety violation at any licensed establishment in Telangana, complaints can be filed through TG SAFE or through the national FSSAI consumer complaint portal. TG SAFE has not published a public schedule of upcoming inspection drives, so the five closures announced on 6 November 2026 reflect findings from routine surveillance rather than a targeted campaign.

Devyani International Limited, which operates the Karimnagar KFC franchise, had not issued a public statement on the suspension as of the time of publication. Pista House Restaurant had also not commented publicly.