The FSSAI authorities in Kodagu have asked the homestays in the coffee land to get registered and secure a mandatory licence for their operations.
The FSSAI Kodagu authorities said in a release that not many homestays have availed of FSSAI licence despite serving food to the guests.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) registration and licence is a must but many homestays were running without complying with the norms under the Act, said the release.
Anil Dhavan, an officer at the FSSAI office in Madikeri, said Kodagu is a renowned tourist destination and the homestays are advised to register and secure licence under FSSAI in the interest of tourists as they need to be served quality and hygienic food.
Kodagu is home to hundreds of homestays, but not all are registered with the Tourism Department. The post-COVID-19 era provided a window of opportunity for unauthorised homestays in Kodagu to get registered with the Tourism Department to continue to be in the hospitality sector and for hassle-free operations. Now, the FSSAI office has asked them to register.
The authorities had stated some time ago that as many as 800 homestays had registered with the Tourism Department and over 450 of them had received certificates as well. The registration was done online with a simple procedure.
Unconfirmed reports and estimates claimed Kodagu has over 4,000 homestays with about 20,000 rooms and many were still operated without valid licence.
Homestays are eligible to get registered if they have a maximum of five rooms and a minimum of two with an attached bathroom, ample parking, and CCTV surveillance. Also, the property owner should reside on the same premises and the guests should have ample space to move around.
The NOC from the jurisdictional gram panchayat and the police are a must for approval. The approval is valid for five years.
