Cockroaches found in Subway soft drink

It was to be a shopping trip with the family on the eve of her birthday for 12-year-old M. Woohasmitha. Instead, the experience left a bad taste in the mouth after a soft drink she ordered from a Subway outlet in a mall in Punjagutta was allegedly found teeming with cockroaches.

Can of worms!

“I was thirsty, so I bought a soft drink. After sipping, I felt something strange in my mouth. It was a live cockroach. After my father opened the lid, he found more cockroaches,” she said.

A Class VII student, Woohasmitha turned 12 on Thursday.

The incident came to light after her father, M. Vamshikrishna Reddy, a businessman, posted a video of this experience at Subway on social media.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Reddy said, “It happened at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. After finding the cockroaches, I went inside the Subway outlet and found cockroaches. I spoke to the lady in-charge, but she was not cooperating, so I recorded the video on my phone. I then called the food inspector and lodged a complaint with the Panjagutta police.”

Samples collected

Acting on Mr. Reddy's complaint, the Greater Hyderabad Muncicpal Corporation's food inspector Sudershan Reddy along with assistant medical officer of health P. Bhargava Narayana inspected the outlet.

“We inspected the outlet and did see cockroaches. We have sent food samples to the laboratory for testing. We have verbally asked the management to close the restaurant for some time,” the food inspector said.

Dr. Bhargava said after a field report is filed, the outlet’s management would be served a show cause notice in a day or two.