The head of the SHOT PROVE project spoke about the main violations in the catering sector

Moscow hosted F&B Safety Forum - the largest Russian forum dedicated to catering and food safety in the hospitality sector. Among the key speakers of the forum was Anton Starkov, investigative journalist and head of the SHOT PROVEKKA project, who presented to the audience the top violations detected by journalists at public catering enterprises.

Anton Starkov's speech provoked a lively discussion. He explained how the SHOT inspection team works: journalists send their agents to catering companies to record violations of sanitary norms. These inspections reveal systemic problems, of which even business owners are often unaware.

According to him, violations are found everywhere, and we are talking not only about small cafes, but also about chain establishments.

Rating of the most frequent violations according to SHOT Checks

Anton Starkov presented a list of the most common violations in the sphere of public catering:

1. Antisanitation. "The most frequent problem we encounter is dirt in the kitchen. We see cooks dropping pieces of fish on the floor, picking them up and putting them back on the table. And that goes into production," he revealed.
2. Expired products. "One popular technique is slipping fresh products into old preparations. The expiration date is as if "zeroed", but in fact it does not make the product fresh," - emphasized the journalist.
3. Employee negligence. "Our agents get a job, communicate with the staff, with management. Everyone knows that rules are broken here, but no one sees it as a problem. People are simply not motivated to comply with even basic sanitary norms."
4. Procurement of low-quality products. "Just recently, at one of the restaurants, our agent was already assigned to inspect the entire franchise chain on the first day. In a conversation with management, he was heard admitting, "Yes, we purchase substandard products. And that didn't embarrass anyone."
5. Pests in the kitchen. "In some establishments, cockroaches feel at home. And the shelf life of products there can be extended indefinitely, if you just want to."

A staffing crisis is no excuse for violating regulations

After the speech, the audience of the forum entered into a discussion. Representatives of the restaurant business noted that the main problem is a shortage of staff, which makes it more difficult to comply with safety standards.

"You talk about antisanitation, about blood and stale food, but I don't think you realize how difficult it is with staff now," said one participant.

Anton Starkov countered, "This is not a consumer problem. It's a problem of the whole industry. But restaurant guests shouldn't care if you're having trouble finding staff."

Food poisoning is on the rise - tough measures are needed

The final point of the discussion was the statistical data: in 2024, the number of food poisonings in Russia has doubled. Among other things, the rates of salmonellosis and staphylococcus aureus have increased.

According to Starkov, the SHOT PROVE project is not for sale, and the investigations are not someone's order.

Anton Starkov's speech at the F&B Safety Forum confirmed that it is no longer possible to ignore safety issues. An open dialog between journalists, business and consumers is the only way to achieve real change.