Karnataka: crackdown on unsafe food and poor-quality drugs

The Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration in Karnataka is stepping up measures to improve the quality of food products and drugs across the state. Between February and March 2025, food safety officers collected over 3000 food samples and nearly 300 drinking water bottles for testing. Test results showed a generally good level of food safety, with the significant exception of drinking water, where most tested samples proved unsafe or of substandard quality. Authorities also inspected hundreds of hotels and restaurants to ensure hygiene in public spaces. They issued notices to 214 hotels and 92 restaurants for failing to meet standards and collected heavy fines for hygiene and safety violations.
On the drug safety side, 1891 drug samples were tested, with 41 found of substandard quality. The department took legal action against the companies involved and recalled several poor-quality drug products from the market. It is also working on software to quickly trace and recall poor-quality medicines. All these measures aim to ensure that people have access to safe food and medicines.