The hygiene rating scheme introduced by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and implemented under the ‘Eat Right Challenge’ has covered 91 hotels in Kozhikode district. The voluntary hygiene rating initiative encourages food businesses to adopt a practice of self-compliance and showcase food safety to gain consumers’ confidence.

Food Safety officials said the process would cover more establishments to encourage responsible business. Government-approved hygiene rating audit agencies (HRAA) are supervising the process. Once a food business obtains 4+ in hygiene rating, it will be eligible to attain the ‘Safe Place to Eat’ tag.

According to officials, efforts are on to certify Eat Right Schools, Eat Right Campuses, and Eat Right Worship Centres in Kozhikode. The first phase is expected to cover six campuses, three schools, and two temples.

Food Safety Assistant Commissioner A. Sakeer Hussein said two schools — Keezhpayyur West LP School and Alphonsa Senior Secondary School, Thamarassery — had already secured the certificates from District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh.

Six parameters, based on initiatives to promote personal hygiene, healthy eating habits, safe water handling practice, effective complaint redressal mechanism, open kitchen visits, and food donation, will be considered for issuing the grading certificates. This information will also be shared with Food Safety officials for further validations and review.

The grading process has become a reality in Kozhikode subsequent to a series of aggressive checks to expose irresponsible entrepreneurs in the business. The latest report by Food Safety officials confirmed that they had exposed 233 food-based establishments in the district for violation of various safety and hygiene norms.

“The violators were exposed during a three-month-long aggressive checking in 2024. ₹7.75 lakh was collected as fine, apart from collecting 300 statutory samples and 1,033 surveillance samples for lab inspections,” said a senior Food Safety official. There were 34 adjudication cases and 17 prosecution cases during the term which resulted in the collection of a total fine of ₹15.54 lakh, he added.