FSSAI notice to Radisson Blu Delhi operator over pests, overused oil, freezers
Representative image: vitesca / Pixabay
FSSAI said on 16 October 2026 it served notice on the Radisson Blu Mahipalpur operator after finding pests, leaking freezers and frying oil past the safe limit.
What Happened
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a notice to AB Hotels Ltd, the operator of the Radisson Blu hotel in Mahipalpur, Delhi, after an inspection found a long list of hygiene and food-handling lapses, the regulator said on Friday, 16 October 2026. Inspectors reported rusted machinery, leaking freezers, cockroach and fly activity, produce affected by fungus, and frying oil in one kitchen that had gone past the safe limit for reuse. The FSSAI has asked the operator to correct the problems and submit a documented response, and warned that its food safety licence could be suspended if it does not comply.
Key Facts
- Notice issued to AB Hotels Ltd, operator of Radisson Blu, Mahipalpur, New Delhi; announced on 16 October 2026.
- Equipment: rusted machinery, freezer leakage, and inadequate refrigeration and temperature monitoring.
- Pests and cleaning: cockroach and fly activity, stagnant water, drainage problems and poor handling of food waste.
- Food handling: fungus-affected produce accepted from suppliers; raw and cooked, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, and allergen foods not properly kept apart; some staff working without gloves or hairnets.
- Cooking oil: oil with Total Polar Compound (TPC) readings of 31 and 24.4 was found in use in one kitchen; the FSSAI limit is 25.
- FSSAI licences were not prominently displayed.
- The notice requires corrective action; it is not a suspension or closure.
Why It Matters
The festive season is when Indian families eat out most, and hotel banquets, buffets and restaurants serve more food than at any other time of year. This case is a reminder that a famous name on the door is no guarantee of a clean kitchen. The problems listed by the FSSAI are not cosmetic: pests, poor refrigeration and mixing of raw and cooked food are among the most common routes by which food becomes unsafe.
The cooking oil finding deserves attention because it touches every home and street stall as well as hotels. When oil is heated again and again for frying, it breaks down and forms what are called polar compounds. The FSSAI has fixed a limit of 25% for Total Polar Compounds, beyond which vegetable oil must not be used, and food businesses have had to monitor their frying oil since July 2018. FSSAI material links these compounds to conditions including high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and liver disease. One of the readings found here, 31, was well over that limit.
India's traditional kitchens have long relied on fresh oil, freshly cooked food and careful separation of what is pure and what is not. Modern food safety rules ask for much the same discipline in a different language: keep raw and cooked food apart, keep cold food cold, keep pests out, and do not reuse oil until it is spoiled. The lapses listed in this notice are the opposite of those habits.
For the regulator, publicising action against a well-known hotel also sends a signal to the wider industry ahead of the busiest weeks of the year. The FSSAI has also issued festive-season guidance this month telling sellers to keep milk products such as khoa and paneer cold from source to sale.
| Problem area | What inspectors found |
|---|---|
| Equipment | Rusted machinery, leaking freezers |
| Storage | Weak refrigeration and temperature checks |
| Pests | Cockroach and fly activity |
| Food handling | Raw and cooked, veg and non-veg not kept apart |
| Frying oil | TPC of 31 and 24.4 against a limit of 25 |
Impact
Short-term: The hotel operator must fix the listed problems and give the FSSAI a documented response, or face suspension of its food safety licence. Guests may ask harder questions about kitchen standards.
Long-term: Public naming of lapses at large hotels could push the hospitality industry to invest more in kitchen maintenance, pest control and oil testing, and make diners more aware of what to look for.
Who is affected: Guests and diners at the hotel, its kitchen staff and management, other hotels and restaurants that face similar inspections, and consumers who eat out during the festive season.
Key Takeaway
The FSSAI's notice to the Radisson Blu Delhi operator over pests, poor refrigeration and over-used frying oil shows that food safety basics, especially fresh oil and clean storage, matter as much in a big hotel as in a home kitchen.
Questions and Answers
Why did FSSAI issue a notice to Radisson Blu in Delhi?
An inspection at the Radisson Blu in Mahipalpur, run by AB Hotels Ltd, found rusted machinery, leaking freezers, cockroach and fly activity, fungus-affected produce, poor separation of foods and frying oil past the safe limit. The FSSAI announced the notice on 16 October 2026.
Has the Radisson Blu Delhi's licence been suspended?
No. The notice requires the operator to correct the problems and submit a documented response. The FSSAI warned that the licence could be suspended if it does not comply.
What is the safe limit for reusing cooking oil in India?
The FSSAI has set a limit of 25% for Total Polar Compounds in frying oil. Beyond that, the oil must not be used for cooking.
How can diners judge whether a restaurant kitchen is safe?
Look for a prominently displayed FSSAI licence, clean and dry surroundings, staff wearing gloves and hair covers, and fresh-smelling food and oil. Complaints can be made to the FSSAI or the state food safety department.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
