- Dr Ashok Seth spotted a baby cockroach at JW Marriott's Romano restaurant in Mumbai
- The incident raised concerns about food hygiene and public safety at the luxury hotel
- Cockroaches can carry germs and contaminate food, posing health risks per WHO guidance
A dinner at a luxury hotel in Mumbai turned into a food safety concern for cardiologist Dr Ashok Seth after he spotted a baby cockroach crawling on his table at the JW Marriott's Romano restaurant. Dr Seth, Chairman, Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi, had been at the hotel for a medical programme involving around 300 doctors and was dining with colleagues and foreign experts when the incident occurred.
He subsequently posted about the experience on social media, humorously referring to the insect as "Roachie" and tagging Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and JW Marriott.
Speaking to NDTV in an exclusive interview, Dr Seth said his concern was not simply about his own meal but about the broader issue of food hygiene and public safety. The incident, he said, was particularly concerning because a cockroach had reportedly also been noticed in the buffet area shortly before he spotted one on his table.
Dr Ashok Seth: 'It is a public health issue'
Recounting the incident, Dr Seth said he and his colleagues had noticed the cockroach while having dinner after a long day of teaching doctors.
"We who four of us were sitting around actually noticed this cockroach," he told NDTV.
But he said what concerned him more was what the sight could indicate about hygiene practices behind the scenes.
"When we see a cockroach, it automatically means that there are hundreds and hundreds of them around," Dr Seth said, while questioning the condition of the kitchen and food-preparation areas.
He also said a cockroach had reportedly been noticed in the buffet area around 15 minutes earlier.
According to the World Health Organization's guidance, cockroaches can carry germs from waste or contaminated environments to food and can therefore contribute to food contamination.
Dr Seth flags response to incident
Dr Seth said he was also concerned about what he described as a lack of urgency in the hotel's initial response.
"We were all disturbed... but the fact was the lack of urgency around this finding," he said.
According to Dr Seth, the group initially informed a waiter and then the restaurant manager. He said a chef eventually approached them and apologised, but he did not receive further communication before checking out the next day.
He said the issue was not about receiving a personal response, but about seeing corrective action.
"I'd rather have them say we've corrected this, we've taken action, this is what's happened," Dr Seth said.
Why cockroaches in food areas are a health concern
The presence of pests in areas where food is prepared or served is a legitimate food-safety concern. WHO notes that cockroaches can act as carriers of disease-causing organisms and contaminate food through contact. Food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals can cause illnesses ranging from gastrointestinal infections to more serious disease.
FSSAI's hygiene framework for food businesses, meanwhile, requires food establishments to comply with prescribed food-safety and hygiene requirements. Its Hygiene Rating Scheme applies to establishments including hotels and restaurants and assesses compliance with food-safety standards.
Dr Seth said his concern extended beyond the particular hotel.
"This tweet relates more to public safety, public health rather than just a five-star hotel and a cockroach issue," he said.
He also expressed concern about the impression such incidents could leave on international visitors, noting that some foreign delegates had been dining with the group.
'We expect the best standards of hygiene'
Dr Seth said customers paying premium prices at luxury hotels reasonably expect high standards of cleanliness and food safety.
"We all go there expecting the best standards of hygiene and the best experience," he said.
The incident also comes amid heightened scrutiny of food safety in Maharashtra, where FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has been leading inspections and action against food establishments over reported hygiene and safety violations.
For consumers, the episode highlights a basic point: food safety does not end with what is on the plate. Clean food-preparation areas, pest control, proper storage and hygiene practices throughout the food chain are essential to reducing the risk of contamination.
For Dr Seth, the cockroach sighting was less about one unpleasant dinner and more about what food hygiene standards should mean in public spaces. "It's not to do with a hotel," he said, stressing that the larger issue was public safety and hygiene.
The reported incident has prompted questions about the hotel's response and whether any regulatory action or inspection will follow. As of the NDTV report, JW Marriott had not publicly responded to the incident.
