AMC SEALS ST XAVIER'S LOYOLA SCHOOL CANTEEN AFTER HYGIENE INSPECTION FINDS EXPIRED FOOD, NO LICENCE Ahmedabad, August 19, 2026 By Viral Tripathi, District Report, Indian Press Union The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation shut down the canteen operating inside St Xavier's Loyola School campus on Tuesday after its Food Safety Department found the premises running without a valid food licence and stocking twelve food items past their expiry dates. The canteen, located near Vijay Cross Road in Naranpura, was sealed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, according to an inspection notice served on the operator on August 18. The notice records the closure as being in the interest of public health and directs the operator not to resume operations until the deficiencies are corrected. Violations Recorded at Inspection AMC officials who visited the site found the kitchen falling short of basic hygiene requirements. The canteen management could not produce a food licence or registration certificate when asked. Utensils and kitchen equipment inside were found unclean, and staff were seen handling food without gloves. The most serious finding, officials said, was the presence of a dozen food items that had crossed their expiry dates and were still in use. The notice warns that continuing to operate without a licence could attract further action under the food-safety law. Food Safety Officer Rajeshwar Pawar was part of the inspecting team, which acted on directions from the AMC's in-charge Additional Medical Officer of Health, who also holds charge as designated officer under the Act. Part of a Wider Civic Drive The Xavier's Loyola action is not an isolated one. The AMC has widened its scrutiny of school canteens across the city after glass was reportedly found in food served at a school canteen recently, an incident that appears to have triggered the current round of checks. As part of the same drive, food-safety teams also visited the canteens at Podar International School in Chandkheda and Adani Vidya Mandir in Makarba this week. Samples collected from both premises have been sent for laboratory testing, and results are awaited. Civic officials indicated that the checks are not limited to these three schools. Inspectors are examining kitchen hygiene, storage of raw material, expiry compliance and licensing status at each site, and the drive is expected to extend to other schools in Ahmedabad over the coming weeks. The AMC has said establishments found in violation will face action under applicable provisions. For now, the St Xavier's Loyola canteen remains shut, with reopening contingent on the operator meeting the corporation's licensing and hygiene requirements. (Inputs from AMC Food Safety Department notice dated August 18, 2026)