Food Safety Crackdown Fails To Inspire Confidence, 79% Distrust State, District FDA: Survey

India's intensified food safety enforcement drive has failed to convince most consumers that food regulators are effectively ensuring hygiene and safety, according to a new LocalCircles survey. Despite increased inspections and licence suspensions by State Food and Drug Administration (FDA) departments, 79% of respondents said they have low, very low or no trust in their District or State FDA department.

The survey, which received 22,819 responses from consumers across 322 districts, found that only 11% expressed high trust in their local food safety regulator. As many as 55% said they had very low or no trust, while 24% reported low trust. Ten per cent were unable to say.

The findings come amid a highly visible enforcement drive, particularly in Maharashtra and Karnataka, with authorities inspecting restaurants, hotels, food chains and food storage facilities.

Maharashtra, Karnataka Step Up Enforcement

In Maharashtra, the FDA inspected 104 outlets of major quick-service restaurant brands between July 10 and August 11, including Domino's, KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Starbucks and Monginis.

Two outlets were shut immediately, 95 improvement notices were issued and five food business licences were suspended. Four Domino's outlets operated by Jubilant FoodWorks had their licences suspended over alleged pest infestation, shortcomings in pest-control records, food storage and temperature monitoring, and hygiene violations.

The FDA also inspected 63 clubs and restaurants in Mumbai between August 4 and 6, issuing 38 improvement notices and suspending seven licences. Two hostel mess facilities at IIT Bombay were ordered shut, while action was also taken against Punjab Grill in Navi Mumbai over alleged cockroach infestation and record-keeping failures.

In Karnataka, authorities inspected 26 three-star and five-star hotels in Bengaluru on August 7. Officials reported finding expired meat, chicken, fish, milk and bakery products, fungal-affected vegetables and unhygienic storage conditions. Thirty-five food samples were collected for testing, while the kitchen of Skyye Lounge at UB City was shut over allegedly rotten meat.

Nearly 1 In 5 Samples Found Unsafe Or Substandard

The survey comes against the backdrop of significant food safety violations recorded nationally.

Data presented in Parliament in July showed that 40,023 of 2,23,808 food samples analysed in 2025-26 were found unsafe, substandard or misbranded — nearly one in five samples.

During the same period, food safety authorities conducted 5,20,566 inspections, up from 4,01,391 in 2024-25. Authorities decided 31,878 civil cases with penalties, while 1,918 criminal convictions were recorded.

However, LocalCircles said consumers still have limited visibility into routine inspections and regulatory action. The FSSAI's Hygiene Rating Scheme is voluntary, meaning customers often cannot easily determine when a restaurant was last inspected or whether violations were found.

The recent enforcement drive has also faced scrutiny over the manner in which some actions were taken. The Bombay High Court questioned the Maharashtra FDA's use of licence suspension powers and criticised the regulator for acting against establishments without adequately following the improvement notice and hearing process.

LocalCircles said the findings do not suggest consumers want weaker enforcement. Instead, they indicate a demand for more regular, transparent and uniform food safety enforcement.

The organisation has recommended that districts publish quarterly data on inspections, samples collected, violations detected and action taken. It has also called for mandatory hygiene ratings to be displayed at restaurants and on food delivery and quick-commerce platforms.

The survey covered 322 districts, with 61% of respondents being men and 39% women.