Five Telangana eateries including KFC and Pista House 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 of five food establishments on 6 November 2026, ordering all five to stop operations immediately after routine inspections uncovered hygiene conditions that regulators described as a direct public health risk.

The five establishments are: a KFC outlet (operated by Devyani International Limited) in Christian Colony, Sawaran Street, Karimnagar; 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; and S K Bakers and Fast Food in Ayodhya Nagar Colony, Mehdipatnam. The inspections were carried out by food safety officers under TG SAFE, Telangana's food and drug regulatory body, as part of what the authority described as regular enforcement rounds.

What the inspectors found

The most technically specific finding came from the KFC outlet in Karimnagar. Inspectors measured Total Polar Compounds (TPC) in the frying oil at 31 for the oil used for French fries and 35.5 for the oil used for chicken. TPC is a measure of how far cooking oil has degraded through repeated heating. FSSAI's Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations cap TPC at 25% for oil used in commercial frying. Both readings at the Karimnagar KFC exceeded that limit, and inspectors seized approximately 90 litres of oil from the fryers. The outlet also had housefly infestation, a foul smell from the thawing area, and freezers with accumulated dust and food debris. Devyani International Limited, which holds the KFC franchise in large parts of India, had not responded publicly to the action at the time of publication.

At Pista House Restaurant in Patancheru mandal, the violations were structural as much as hygienic. Drains and sinks were clogged, cockroaches were present, and vessels were damaged and unclean. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian items shared the same refrigerators, and cooked meat was stored alongside raw meat, a practice that creates direct cross-contamination risk. Food handlers worked without gloves. The establishment had no pest-control documentation and no medical fitness certificates for its staff, both mandatory under FSSAI licensing conditions.

Ganapathi Hotel Mess and Hostel near Patancheru Bus Stand had rat droppings on vegetables, cockroaches inside chutney and rice boxes, rotten produce (cabbage, onions, brinjals), and fungus in stored dal. The kitchen had inadequate lighting and ventilation. Expired food articles were present, and the establishment lacked water analysis reports and employee health records.

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

S K Bakers and Fast Food in Mehdipatnam had prepared rice stored uncovered next to a dustbin, expired food articles, a greasy kitchen floor with housefly infestation, and mayonnaise made from raw eggs, which carries a Salmonella risk. Staff were not wearing any protective clothing, and mandatory records were absent.

Why this matters for anyone eating out in Telangana

These five cases illustrate a pattern that goes beyond individual negligence. Three of the five establishments lacked pest-control records entirely. Four had no medical fitness certificates for food handlers. These are not obscure requirements: FSSAI's Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011 make both mandatory for any licensed food business.

The TPC issue at KFC deserves particular attention for consumers who eat fried food regularly. Oil that has been heated repeatedly breaks down into polar compounds, some of which are associated with oxidative stress and inflammation in animal studies. The FSSAI limit of 25% TPC exists precisely to prevent degraded oil from reaching consumers. A reading of 35.5, as recorded at the Karimnagar outlet, is 42% above that ceiling.

For the clean-label and health-conscious reader, the Pista House finding about mixed vegetarian and non-vegetarian storage is also significant. Restaurants that claim to serve vegetarian food while storing items in shared refrigerators with raw meat cannot credibly make that claim. FSSAI's Food Safety and Standards (Food Business) Regulations require physical separation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian items at every stage of storage and preparation.

TG SAFE has not published a reinstatement timeline or the conditions under which these establishments can apply to resume operations. Whether any of the five have appealed the suspension is not known at the time of writing.

What you can do before eating at any restaurant

FSSAI requires every licensed food business to display its licence or registration certificate at the premises. The licence number can be cross-checked on the FSSAI Food Safety Connect portal. If a restaurant cannot show a valid, current licence, that alone is grounds to walk out.

For fried food specifically, you can ask staff how often frying oil is changed. There is no obligation for them to answer, but a kitchen that changes oil on a documented schedule will usually know the answer. Cloudy, dark, or strongly smoking oil in a fryer is a visible sign of high TPC, even without a meter.

Pest-control records and staff health certificates are documents you are entitled to ask to see at any FSSAI-licensed establishment. Most consumers never ask. The five cases above suggest that, at least in some kitchens, nobody else is asking either, until an inspector arrives.

For vegetarians and Jains eating out in Telangana, the Pista House finding is a reminder that verbal assurances about vegetarian preparation mean little without physical separation of storage and cooking areas. Asking to see the kitchen layout, or choosing restaurants with a visible open kitchen, gives more information than a menu label.