The consumer protection authority found serious hygiene and food safety deficiencies in three Budapest shopping centers

In the food courts of shopping centers, several catering units – fast food restaurants, buffets, other food service providers – typically operate in close proximity to each other.

These units often share common backrooms, such as changing rooms, staff toilets, and utility corridors, and waste management and pest control tasks are usually carried out by the shopping center operator.

During the inspections, the experts found damaged floor, wall and ceiling coverings in several units, which made it difficult to keep the surfaces clean and facilitated the settlement of pests.

During the inspections, it was also revealed that improperly maintained ventilation systems worsened the efficiency of the extraction due to greasy deposits and backflows.

The NKFH found shortcomings in the separate storage of raw materials and ready-made meals, and determined that work processes with different hygiene levels were inadequately separated in several locations.

The increased inventory resulting from home delivery, coupled with limited storage capacity, also posed a food safety risk.

According to the statement, the authority found particularly worrying conditions in the food court of one of the malls, where, in the absence of a central tray washer, guest trays were washed in the kitchen or vegetable preparation rooms, which raised serious hygiene objections.