HYDERABAD: Even as hundreds of food samples were found to be non-conforming, including cases involving adulteration, not a single penalty or conviction was recorded in Telangana, raising serious questions over the state’s food safety enforcement.According to data furnished by the Union health ministry in the Lok Sabha on Aug 7, Telangana analysed 3,576 food samples in 2025-26, of which 398, or 11.1%, were found to be non-conforming.However, the state reported zero civil cases decided with penalty and zero convictions during the year.The non-conforming samples included misbranded products, the use of expired ingredients and adulterants in food preparation.The enforcement gap becomes more evident when Telangana is compared with other southern states. Tamil Nadu tested 44,603 samples, more than 12 times Telangana’s testing volume, and found 3,984 non-conforming samples.It reported 1,359 civil cases decided with penalty and 857 convictions. Kerala tested 16,746 samples and reported 1,026 cases decided with penalty and 330 convictions.Even states with comparable or lower testing volumes reported substantially higher enforcement.Andhra Pradesh tested 5,798 samples and found 429 non-conforming samples, but reported 196 civil cases decided with penalty and 16 convictions.Karnataka tested 13,349 samples, found 537 non-conforming samples and reported 248 cases decided with penalty and 33 convictions.
Cases piling up
Food safety officials attributed Telangana’s zero-penalty record in 2025-26 largely to the backlog of cases pending before district additional collectors, who act as designated authorities in civil food safety cases.“More than 100 food safety violation cases are pending in Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts alone. In fact, enforcement activity has increased in recent years. On the other hand, the cases filed during 2022-23 are only now reaching the judgment stage. As these cases come up for adjudication, penalties are expected to increase,” said a food safety officer in the GHMC.Officials also cited the lengthy adjudication process as a reason for the delay in imposing penalties and securing convictions.Under the procedure, it can take around a month for a designated officer to issue summons, followed by up to three months for an additional collector to take up compounding or adjudication proceedings.
Nearly 50% of posts lie vacant
The intensity of testing itself also raises questions. Tamil Nadu analysed 44,603 samples in 2025-26, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 39,519, Rajasthan with 17,325, Kerala with 16,746, Karnataka with 13,349 and Gujarat with 11,903.Telangana’s 3,576 samples were lower than even Andhra Pradesh’s 5,798 and Maharashtra’s 7,694.A major structural weakness is the shortage of food safety officers. Telangana has 81 sanctioned posts, of which only 44 are filled, leaving 37 vacancies — nearly 46% of the sanctioned strength.This is in stark contrast to Karnataka and Kerala, which reported 100% occupancy of their sanctioned food safety officer posts, with 210 and 160 officers, respectively.Tamil Nadu had 326 officers against 394 sanctioned posts, while Maharashtra had 318 against 350.Officials attributed Telangana’s lower sample collection, compared with other states, to the severe shortage of manpower in the department.“The three municipal corporations in the Core Urban Region (CURE) require around 60 food safety officers, but currently have only 17 officials. The shortage is compounded by the lack of adequate support staff. We are required to handle the entire enforcement process right from conducting inspections and collecting samples to following up on laboratory reports, gathering evidence and submitting the required records to designated officers,” said an official in the food safety wing.
Passengers raise over 4,000 food complaints in trains
Complaints over food quality, quantity, hygiene and overcharging have continued to dog railway catering services, with over 4,000 complaints lodged against catering services on trains and another 108 against catering units at stations since 2020 in South Central Railway (SCR).“To strengthen food quality and hygiene standards across trains and stations, measures are being implemented, including strict monitoring, e-catering services, CCTV surveillance in base kitchens, hygiene audits, modern mechanised kitchens, staff training, action against unauthorised vendors, feedback mechanisms and improved service standards,” said an SCR official.
