TG SAFE suspended FSSAI licences of four Hyderabad eateries on October 13, 2026, citing cockroach infestations, rodent activity, and severe hygiene failures across 13 inspected establishments.
TG SAFE (Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs) suspended the FSSAI licences of four Hyderabad restaurants on October 13, 2026, ordering them to stop operations immediately after inspections revealed conditions that officials said posed a direct risk to public health.
Seven enforcement teams, each comprising food safety officers and police personnel, fanned out across the city and inspected 13 restaurants and canteens in a single day. The sweep covered Chikkadpally, Hafeezpet, Madhapur, Ameerpet, Vengal Rao Nagar, and Jubilee Hills. The four establishments whose licences were suspended are NR's Nandini Sudha in Chikkadpally, Sai Darshini and Universal Restaurant in Vengal Rao Nagar, and Harsha Delux Mess in Ameerpet.
What the inspectors found
The violations documented at the four suspended outlets were not minor paperwork gaps. Inspectors recorded food waste scattered on kitchen floors, unhygienic wash areas, cockroach and rodent infestation, water stagnation, clogged drains, grease-coated tiles, and generally filthy kitchen surfaces. Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, a food business operator is legally required to maintain premises free from pest infestation and to ensure that food contact surfaces, drains, and waste disposal systems do not create contamination risk. Suspension of an FSSAI licence is one of the stronger enforcement tools available to state food safety authorities: it halts operations until the business demonstrates compliance.
A fifth outlet, Padmasree Canteen at the IACG Hostel Mess in Ayyappa Society, Madhapur, was ordered to stop operations for a different reason: it had no FSSAI licence at all. Operating a food business without a valid FSSAI registration or licence is an offence under the FSS Act and can attract a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh under Section 63.
TG SAFE also collected 16 food samples across the inspected establishments on suspicion of adulteration. Those samples will be sent to accredited laboratories. Results are not yet public, and TG SAFE has not indicated a timeline for releasing them.
Not every establishment inspected faced a suspension. Absolute Barbeque in Jubilee Hills received an improvement notice, and TG SAFE said it will reinspect the outlet to verify compliance before deciding on further action. Six more restaurants, Imperial Multicuisine Restaurant in Hafeezpet, Kolkata House in Madhapur, Anandobramha Fine Dine Restaurant in Ameerpet, Rayalaseema Ruchulu in Ameerpet, Avuna Restaurant in Madhapur, and Raju Gari Biryani in Madhapur, were issued show-cause notices. A show-cause notice is a formal demand for the business to explain why stronger action should not be taken; it does not automatically mean closure.
Why this matters for diners choosing clean-label or health-conscious restaurants
For readers who seek out restaurants on the basis of ingredient transparency, Ayurvedic menus, or plant-based food, hygiene compliance is a baseline that precedes any conversation about label claims. A kitchen with rodent infestation or stagnant water cannot credibly claim to serve food that is pure, additive-free, or aligned with any wellness philosophy. The two concerns are not separate.
Hyderabad has a large and growing segment of restaurants marketing themselves around clean eating, Jain food, or organic sourcing. None of the four suspended outlets appear to be in that segment, but the enforcement drive covered Jubilee Hills, a neighbourhood where several premium and health-focused dining options operate. The improvement notice to Absolute Barbeque in Jubilee Hills is a reminder that even higher-end establishments are within scope.
The FSSAI licence system is the primary public signal that a food business has been registered with the state authority and has at least cleared a baseline compliance check. Diners can verify whether a restaurant holds a valid licence by asking to see the certificate, which food businesses are required to display prominently on their premises under FSSAI regulations. The licence number can also be cross-checked on the FoSCoS portal, FSSAI's online licensing and registration system.
What diners should do before eating out
Before visiting any restaurant, check the FoSCoS portal with the establishment's name or licence number to confirm the licence is active and not suspended. A suspended licence will show a changed status on the portal, though there can be a lag between the enforcement action and the portal update.
At the restaurant itself, the FSSAI licence certificate should be displayed near the entrance or at the billing counter. If it is not visible, ask. A business that cannot produce it is either unlicensed (like Padmasree Canteen) or has had its licence suspended.
For the 16 food samples collected during this drive, TG SAFE has not released results. If adulteration is confirmed in any sample, the authority is required to initiate prosecution under the FSS Act. Watch the TG SAFE official communications for those findings, as adulteration results are typically made public after laboratory analysis.
Finally, the show-cause notices issued to six establishments do not mean those outlets are currently unsafe, but they do mean TG SAFE found enough to warrant a formal response. Diners who frequent Imperial Multicuisine Restaurant in Hafeezpet, Kolkata House in Madhapur, Anandobramha Fine Dine in Ameerpet, Rayalaseema Ruchulu in Ameerpet, Avuna Restaurant in Madhapur, or Raju Gari Biryani in Madhapur may want to wait for the outcome of those proceedings before returning.