Bengaluru’s iconic Empire restaurant chain finds itself in controversy after a government food lab declared chicken kebabs from its Gandhinagar outlet unfit for human consumption.
The warning was triggered following an inspection by Food Safety Officer Ambarish Gowda on June 27, during which 2 kg of chicken kebabs (four 500g packets) were collected from Empire’s Anand Rao Circle branch. The samples were sent to the State Food Laboratory, Public Health Institute, for analysis.
Lab results released on July 11 confirmed that the kebabs violated safety norms under the Food Product Standards & Food Additives Regulations, 2011, and were officially marked “unsafe” under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
In response, BBMP’s Food Safety and Drug Administration (North Zone) served a notice to Empire, giving them 30 days to reply. The restaurant has the option to request retesting at CFTRI, Mysuru — but only at their own cost.
When reached for comment, Empire CEO Shakir acknowledged receiving the notice. “We won’t be commenting on the specifics of the issue. However, we have now discontinued the use of food colouring in our kebabs,” he told NDTV.
The findings have sparked concern among regular patrons and highlight growing scrutiny over food safety compliance in popular eateries across the city.