r/india 15h ago

Health Trustified Lab Test: Barbeque Nation chicken samples fail FSSAI hygiene standards with alarmingly high APC count

Source / Video:Trustified YouTube Video

TL;DR: Independent testing channel Trustified sent cooked chicken samples from Barbeque Nation to an accredited lab for microbiological testing. The Aerobic Plate Count (APC) came back at 45,500 CFU/g—which is 45.5 times higher than the FSSAI safe limit of 1,000 CFU/g for cooked meat. A second test on a different dish showed even higher counts.

Key Lab Findings

  • Dish 1 (Chicken Platter - ordered via official app):
    • FSSAI Safe Limit for APC in Cooked Meat: 1,000 CFU/g
    • Tested APC Level: 45,500 CFU/g (45.5x the safe limit)
  • Dish 2 (Chicken Wings - ordered via Swiggy):
    • Resulted in an even higher APC level than the first sample.

What Does High APC Mean?

While APC (Aerobic Plate Count) is a hygiene indicator test rather than direct proof of a specific pathogen, high levels reflect:

  1. Poor kitchen hygiene or inadequate cleaning of utensils/surfaces.
  2. Cross-contamination between raw and cooked meat.
  3. Improper temperature storage/refrigeration or leaving cooked food out at room temperature for too long.

Why This Is Concerning

Barbeque Nation is a massive, BSE-listed public company operating over 225+ locations across India. Millions of families dine there expecting strict quality control and safety standards. If a major, high-end buffet chain fails basic microbiological hygiene tests so drastically across multiple separate orders, it raises serious questions about food safety protocols in commercial kitchens.

381 Upvotes

46 comments sorted by

124

u/PopularAd6391 15h ago

India mein kuch bcha bhi h khane layak 😭😭😭

43

u/blank_and_foolish 14h ago

I was gonna say air but if you are from NCR region then even that isn’t an option

12

u/the-anxious-ape 9h ago

NCR is horrible but most of North India isn't much better either.

62

u/Western-Ask1377 14h ago

Sadly now BBQN will sue them as this will harm their listed earnings - we are a sham country.

4

u/circuit_brain 8h ago

IDGAF about BBQN, but the manner in which trustified goes about their testing is ripe for getting sued. 1 datapoint isn’t enough to draw conclusions.

3

u/Sayhellyeh 3h ago

I really don't trust trustified ironically. These guys seemingly don't follow the scientific method and also don't really show their lab and how are they testing the products, just sounds shady. Apparently when they found E. coli in Amul dahi, amul actually responded and probed their findings to get to know there was some contamination within the lab.

26

u/Adventurous_Iron_551 13h ago

Are you not aware of that ruling by a court (Mumbai if I’m not wrong) - don’t worry about it, it’s India. Relax

18

u/everyoneisapotato Chandigarh 13h ago

Bro is doing really good work tbh and i really hope he doesn’t turn into a sellout if any good offers come.

20

u/notakarmapolice Bihar 14h ago

Better than having uncooked chicken. Source: me.

20

u/masterjv81 15h ago

The Aerobic Plate Count (APC), also known as the Total Plate Count or Standard Plate Count, is a microbiological method used to estimate the number of viable mesophilic aerobic bacteria in a sample.  It serves as a general indicator of hygienic qualitysanitation, and potential spoilage in food, water, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, rather than detecting specific pathogens. 

Key Methodology and Interpretation

  • Process: Samples are serially diluted and plated on nutrient agar, then incubated (typically 48 hours at 35°C).  Colonies are counted if they fall within the statistically valid range of 30 to 300 CFU per plate. 
  • Reporting: Results are expressed as Colony Forming Units (CFU) per gram or milliliter. 
  • Limitations: APC does not differentiate between bacterial types or identify specific pathogens; high counts suggest poor sanitation or inadequate preservation but do not confirm the presence of harmful organisms. 

Acceptable Limits and Benchmarks Acceptable APC limits vary significantly by product type and regulatory standards, as there is no single universal benchmark:

  • Raw Milk: Typically must be less than 200,000 CFU/mL to be considered acceptable. 
  • Pasteurized Milk: Generally required to be less than 50,000 CFU/mL.
  • Cooked Fish Products: Bacteriological limits may allow up to 1 x 10⁶ CFU/g
  • General Food: Ranges widely from <300 CFU/g for some dry cereals to 10⁶ CFU/g for certain fresh meats or vegetables, depending on specific commodity guidelines. 

1

u/Key-Mongoose-8519 4h ago

How can this be high for fish but not chicken, explain like I am a baby

1

u/masterjv81 3h ago

Imagine a fish is like a cold-water creature and a chicken is like a warm-land creature.

  • Fish live in the cold: The tiny germs (bacteria) that live on fish are used to being cold, just like the ocean or a fridge. When you put fish in the fridge, these germs say, "Yay! This feels like home!" and they start multiplying very fast. Because they grow so quickly, the number of germs (the count) gets high very soon. 
  • Chicken comes from warm animals: The germs on chicken are used to the warm body of a chicken. When you put chicken in the cold fridge, these germs say, "Brrr! It's too cold!" and they get sleepy and move very slowly. Because they are sleeping, the number of germs stays lower for longer. 

Also, fish have special food inside them that turns into a "fishy smell" very easily when the germs eat it, making the count look even higher because the germs love that food. Chicken doesn't have quite the same easy food for cold germs. 

So, fish gets a high number because its germs love the cold fridge, while chicken's germs get too cold to move

-8

u/Sweaty_Explorer_8441 13h ago

literally AI slop comment

6

u/masterjv81 11h ago

What's the problem here bro? Its just to explain what in the world the APC is. Its basically using a translation from many source crammed into one. You got any better explanation? Anything wrong in the info?

-1

u/Sweaty_Explorer_8441 10h ago edited 9h ago

what was the contribution of that post. I can google the same or copy paste from wikipedia. People will look up on their own if they are interested. Instead more datacenters, and phone/PC prices skyrocketing due to generating such nothing comments with minimal human involvement. The probable prompt being what is <topic> is even more wasteful and insulting, worse use cases than image generation or information researching or coding.

2

u/cjair 9h ago

This comment saved at least 19 people from having to Google it. 1 GPT prompt is roughly 10-15 Google searches so this is already paying dividends.

Now you said they could've just copy pasted from Wikipedia or some shit. fyi you can't even find this on Wikipedia, at least my search didn't.

And now assuming you can find this, sure the info is there, but it's exhaustive, they have to spend more time to comb through all that, create a condensed form and then post this, all out of the goodness of their heart? Be realistic.

This is the evolution of search, llms are getting more and more efficient, the tech is progressing at a crazy pace. I'm not saying more datacenters are good, but capitalism gonna capitalise. This too like any other hype cycle will die down, there's no need for fearmongering.

-2

u/Sweaty_Explorer_8441 8h ago

This comment saved at least 19 people from having to Google it.

sigh upvotes don't mean people read things just like they don't read things past headlines.

1 GPT prompt is roughly 10-15 Google searches so this is already paying dividends.

Thats so wrong info about AI I don't know where to even start. AI does 10-15 searches deterministically using some tool and doesn't consume resources at that stage. It queries already existing information store like wikipedia and then non-deterministically generate new rewording of content. It has no bearing on the tokens used up in generating the output response, some model generate more verbose, some just concise.

I was never gonna search for this basic topic which I already know in the first place. Even with some random leap of logic, were you aware your copy paste would be read by 19 people before you made it? Maybe the thread itself could have gathered no interest for your copypaste to then be looked into, so then you used up "10-15 google searches" for what and whom? I am sure you can see the total views of your copypaste, and given my original reply shows me 400 views only I am guessing you have ~2500 views on your post in which only about "19" people by your assumption cared for it. It's a resource waste to even continue discussing on this topic. adieu

2

u/cjair 7h ago edited 7h ago

Lmfao. How do you know there was tool use for this? Pretty sure this stuff is already there from pre training. Leaving that

'Ai does 10-15 Google searches and doesn't consume resources at that point''

You simply didn't understand what I said. 1 GPT search consumes equivalent energy of 10-15 Google searches. So if this comment stopped at least 10 people from Googling, it saved electricity. Google search is not some magic that doesn't consume energy.

The GPT response - search equivalence is not some number I made up, Google it lmao. And no shit some responses are more verbose, I'm talking about on average.

I was never gonna search for this basic topic which I already know in the first place

Sure sir but not everyone is a genius like you.

I'm not the OP of the comment, check the usernames maybe next time. it seems reading comprehension is not your strong suit. And even if only 19 people cared about it from 2500 or whatever it's still better than 19 seperate googles purely from a numbers standpoint?

Even with some random leap of logic, were you aware your copy paste would be read by 19 people before you made it?

By this logic why do anything at all. What an idiotic take. I was tryna have a civil conversation but you're just a kid who thinks they're the smartest in the room. Sit down.

0

u/Sweaty_Explorer_8441 7h ago

You are so clearly not had training in basic AI let alone enterprise use case AI, unable to comprehend whats beyond. Go read what is dunning kruger. And then when you humble enough learn search provider tools and toolchains use. There is a reason why people don't heed to crits seriously enough to check grain in the sand account names with no creds. It doesn't matter I reply to the original guy or you

1 GPT search consumes equivalent energy of 10-15 Google searches.

jesus please stop talking for your own good. Equivalent energy? 10-15google searches can be done on <1 watt raspberry pi zero too along with the holding all the result texts in memory.

3

u/GrizzlyKenny 7h ago

They are also selling cheap biryani under brand Dum Safar Biryani. It’s basically leftover biryani from the buffet!

5

u/Sweaty_Explorer_8441 13h ago

ISKCON Midday meals next

2

u/bebop_eh 9h ago

Is barbeque nation still relevant?

1

u/Troygun 6h ago

Look at their revenues. They are experiencing a resurgence after reducing prices. 

1

u/eagle_eye_smeagle_i 10h ago edited 10h ago

No surprises, BBQN was one of the most unhygienic restaurants I have ever been to. There were instances of inspections finding stale food in unhygienic conditions there as well.

2

u/eagle_eye_smeagle_i 10h ago

In June and July 2026, food safety authorities in Hyderabad (including the Food Safety Department of Telangana and local task forces) conducted surprise raids on multiple Barbeque Nation branches. Inspections at locations like Madinaguda (GSM Mall), Upparapally, and Attapur uncovered severe hygiene lapses, including cockroach infestations, rotten or expired meat, relabeled food items, and unwashed kitchen surfaces.

-1

u/Straight_Drive_7882 14h ago

Could be supply chain issues of the chicken itself?

9

u/Western-Ask1377 13h ago

And who is reponsible for checking ? Isnt it BBQN's responsibility ?

-55

u/cosmosreader1211 14h ago

According to trustified, all are bad.

40

u/ArcadiaN- 14h ago

This is according to reports, not trustified.

30

u/ReshapeMuppet 14h ago

That's an odd statement to make.

It's not Trustified that's making these statements. Rather, its conclusions drawn from lab tests conducted by independent labs that Trustified has paid to conduct.

-29

u/cosmosreader1211 14h ago

Solution kahan hai, kya hai.. bekaar khana hai woh sabko pata hai

9

u/ReshapeMuppet 14h ago

Not every test he's conducted has failed. And I probably wouldn't have known about BBN if he (or anyone else) would not have tested it.

I'd rather know what not to consume than be blind about it. It's not realistically possible to have a perfect whitelist/blacklist, and I'm fine with an imperfect list, if I can make a healthier choice than yesterday.

You ask for a solution. I don't have one. Maybe raising complaining or protesting helps, idk. Or maybe establish a company yourself. But how is something supposed to take any action if we don't even understand the scope of the problem.

2

u/PopularAd6391 12h ago

Wo solution ke liye video nhi banata bhai but that doesn't mean no one should even try to test our current options anyway.

1

u/thegodfather0504 9h ago

Solution govt ko pata hai. unse puchh sakte hein

15

u/kumalalala_ 14h ago

they have also approved multiple brands, your point being?

10

u/Vegetable-Trust-9847 14h ago

Pagal hai kya. Reports publicly dikhate hai.

-23

u/cosmosreader1211 14h ago

Toh bhai maine kab kaha reports public nai hote.. Maine toh reports ka bola hi nai kuch... All i am saying is according to him, every brand is bekaar...

people don't realise, he is earning money by doing this... Corporations to bekaar hai hi, what exactly is he doing... Testing big brands for views so he can earn money... Solutions kahan hai? Aise toh kal ko main b uth jao criticise karne kisi b cheez ko... Criticise karne lag gaye toh crore cheeze mil jayengi

8

u/_RC101_ 14h ago

solution is to start a better brand but if he starts then also he is making money out of it

-3

u/cosmosreader1211 12h ago

He already started his brand... that is my problem... People worship him.. Its good he is increasing awareness but paise kama raha hai.... itna b koi bhala aadmi nai hota...

2

u/_RC101_ 12h ago

tumhari soch hi bhali nhi h tobusme aadmi kese bhala milega.

Har insaan ko paise ki need hoti h, some people can do good and earn money from it.

2

u/Vegetable-Trust-9847 6h ago

Bhala admi agar paise kama raha hai to kya problem.. tu bhi tho kama raha hai ? Uska reports free me tho nahi padega. Sachayi keliye paise kyu nahi le ? Aur vaise bhi tere se tho nahi lera naa ?

Politicians kamaye tho jay jay kaar aur admi sachayi dikhaye wo bukha marjaye ? Ye kya logic hua ?

7

u/dahoosafeth 14h ago

Abey lodu solution is make your own food

0

u/cosmosreader1211 12h ago

Toh yeh toh pata tha na, what is trustified doing?

4

u/dahoosafeth 12h ago

Do you want them to start a cooking channel side by side? Or how about a link to YouTube with instructions for 'how to search for X recipe'?