FSSAI issues notices to 5-star hotels JW Marriott, Andaz over hygiene violations

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to five-star hotels JW Marriott and Andaz in Delhi's Aerocity after inspections found serious food safety and hygiene violations, including pest infestations and expired food products.

The regulator said it had collected samples from both hotels for laboratory analysis, following which further action will be taken.

JW Marriott inspection

FSSAI issued a notice to JW Marriott, operated by Aria Hotels and Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd, citing serious food safety violations and non-compliance with regulatory requirements.

Inspectors found inadequate pest control, cockroaches and fruit flies, unclean utensils and food-contact surfaces, poor maintenance and visible particulate matter in drinking water.

The inspection also uncovered spoiled and fungal-affected food, including apples with fungal growth and rotten tomatoes. Other concerns included uncovered food, damaged storage containers, improper storage of cut vegetables and inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.

Deficiencies were reported across several food preparation areas, including the Chinese, Indian, Italian and bakery kitchens. These included pest infestation, non-functional exhaust systems, poor sanitation, inadequate allergen segregation and improper food identification and storage.

FSSAI also found problems in the water bottling area, dry store, coffee shop and vegetable preparation section, including rusting of the drinking-water storage tank and fruit-fly infestation.

The regulator said some products, including paneer, khoya, chana masala and chilli, did not have the required licence or endorsement available for verification.

It also found that the hotel was undertaking retail and re-labeller activities without the required endorsement on its FSSAI licence, including selling products under the JW Marriott brand.

Labelling deficiencies were also found on pre-packaged food, including incorrect FSSAI licence numbers and incomplete manufacturer addresses. The hotel's FSSAI licence was not displayed prominently on the premises.

Andaz inspection

At Andaz, operated by Juniper Hotels Pvt Ltd, inspectors found active cockroaches near freezers, houseflies and mosquitoes in the grinding room, spider webs and a gutka packet inside the bottling plant area.

The inspection also found improper segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, poor sanitation, inadequate food-handler hygiene and improper food storage.

FSSAI said expired food products were found at the hotel, including around 87 kg of expired sweets, an expired cake base and bread packets.

Other violations included inadequate temperature monitoring, poor allergen segregation, improper waste management, structural and maintenance deficiencies and inadequate supplier verification.

Inspectors also found duplicate date markings on expired bread packaging.

The regulator reported severe unpleasant odours and noted that chillers were located directly between two bathrooms, with exhaust ventilation directed towards the chiller section.

Samples collected

FSSAI collected regulatory and surveillance samples from the hotels for laboratory testing. The samples included cow ghee, vegetarian mayonnaise, creamy coconut milk powder, honey twigs, yellow masoor dal, tomato sauce, orange marmalade and coconut cookies.

The regulator has directed the hotels to take immediate corrective action and submit compliance reports along with supporting evidence.

FSSAI said the violations covered multiple areas, including licensing, labelling, food storage, temperature control, sanitation, pest control, personal hygiene, cross-contamination prevention, allergen management, traceability and potable-water standards.

Comments from the two hotels were not immediately available.

The notices come amid a wider FSSAI crackdown on food businesses and online platforms over food safety, labelling, advertising and misleading claims.