The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered temporary closure of the kitchen of a private engineering college’s hostel after food served to students allegedly contained worms.FSSAI Designated Officer for Coimbatore T. Anuradha said the kitchen at the girl’s hostel of Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology on city outskirts was ordered to be closed for 14 days.Dr. Anuradha had inspected the kitchen on July 1 based on a complaint from students and the management was instructed to address their grievances. A notice had been issued to the management instructing to improve the hygiene of the kitchen. However, the management did not take measures to address the issues, she said.According to Dr. Anuradha, a food safety officer inspected the kitchen again on Tuesday based on a fourth complaint from students. The kitchen was found to have been operating without proper records with food handlers lacking medical certificates. Food handlers had also not undergone Food Safety Training and Certification (FOSTAC) training. Pest control, storage of food and waste disposal were found improper, she said.The kitchen, which was serving food for around 400 students of the girls’ hostel, was found unhygienic during the inspection.“Now, the management has been ordered to stop activities in the kitchen of the girls’ hostel for 14 days. An improvement notice has also been issued under Section 32 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. We have given them 14 days-time to rectify the anomalies,” said Dr. Anuradha. Published - July 16, 2026 09:23 pm IST