Bengaluru’s Skyye Lounge at UB City has had its kitchen shut after food safety officials found 45 kg of rotten chicken and beef, reportedly with fungal growth, during an inspection on August 9.
Officials also found 6 kg of vegetable cutlets and 15 litres of used cooking oil at the establishment, while milk and curd were reportedly past their expiry dates by around 10 days.
The food items were deemed unfit for consumption and discarded or destroyed according to procedure. The action was part of a wider food safety drive across Bengaluru in which officials seized or disposed of around 132 kg of food articles from several establishments.
Authorities have said legal action will be initiated against food businesses found violating food safety requirements.
45 Kg Of Rotten Meat Found
The inspection at Skyye Lounge, located on the 16th floor of Bengaluru’s UB City, uncovered serious concerns about how food was being stored and handled.
According to reports citing food safety officials, the kitchen was found to be unhygienic, with 45 kg of chicken and beef described as rotten and affected by fungus.
Officials also found 6 kg of vegetable cutlets that were considered unfit for consumption. Milk and curd stored at the premises were reportedly around 10 days past their expiry dates. A further 15 litres of used cooking oil was disposed of during the inspection.
The authorities ordered the kitchen to be shut following the findings. The food items identified during the inspection were not allowed to remain at the premises and were discarded or destroyed as per procedure.
Wider Food Safety Crackdown
The Skyye Lounge inspection was not an isolated operation. Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drugs Administration Department has been carrying out an intensified inspection drive targeting hotels, restaurants and food storage facilities across Bengaluru Urban district and BBMP areas.
Officials deployed 30 teams comprising Designated Officers and Food Safety Officers to examine food quality, storage conditions and safety practices. During the latest round of inspections, around 132 kg of food articles were seized or discarded across several establishments, alongside 15 litres of used cooking oil.
Other premises were also found storing meat, fish, vegetables and prepared food that officials considered unsafe or unsuitable for consumption. At food storage and distribution facilities supplying hotels and caterers, officials reportedly seized around 70 kg of soy sauce and other sauces nearing their expiry dates.
Five meat samples and 13 other food samples were collected and sent for laboratory analysis. Officials said legal action would follow against food business operators found violating food safety and quality requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
High-End Dining Under The Scanner
The latest action comes shortly after another inspection drive in Bengaluru that placed several three-star and five-star hotels under scrutiny. Earlier inspections reportedly uncovered expired food, large quantities of chicken and milk, fungal growth on vegetables and poor storage practices at some high-end establishments.
Officials subsequently widened their focus to food storage and distribution centres that supply restaurants, hotels and caterers, highlighting that food safety problems can begin well before ingredients reach a restaurant kitchen.
The developments are particularly significant in a city where eating out is deeply woven into everyday life and where consumers often associate premium venues with higher standards of hygiene.
Under India’s food safety framework, food businesses, including hotels, restaurants, clubs and bars, are required to meet prescribed standards for the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of food intended for human consumption.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The findings at Skyye Lounge are a reminder that food safety cannot depend on the price of a meal, the location of a restaurant or the reputation of an establishment.
Customers place an essential degree of trust in food businesses when they eat outside their homes, and that trust comes with a basic responsibility to maintain clean kitchens, safe storage and fresh ingredients.
Enforcement drives such as this are important, but sustained inspections and transparent follow-up action matter just as much. Businesses should be given the opportunity to correct genuine lapses, while serious or repeated violations must invite proportionate consequences.
Consumers, meanwhile, should be encouraged to report unsafe practices rather than simply accepting them as part of eating out. Ensuring safe food is ultimately a shared responsibility between regulators, businesses and the public. How can Bengaluru make regular food-safety compliance a norm rather than something that happens only after surprise inspections?
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