BRICS 2026 Summit Faces Food Risk, Posh Hotels Booked For Hygiene Lapse

The US-based publicly listed Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR), with a market cap of $94 billion, and has a presence in India’s capital city New Delhi and operates under the name JW Marriott, has been booked by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is a statutory body that regulates food, after authorities inspected its kitchen and found cockroaches, flies, and food past its expiry date. The hotel is one of the two selected to accommodate foreign dignitaries and diplomats who will attend the BRICS 2026 summit.

JW Marriott Under the Scanner Ahead of the BRICS 2026 Summit

JW Marriott, which is located in New Delhi’s Aerocity, has been flagged for a series of safety lapses. Expired food products, pests, issues with refrigeration and storage, inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, and deficiencies in food handling were found. Two bread packets were found bearing expired stickers. In addition, officials found the pastry section had several expired cake bases. This comes just weeks before the BRICS 2026 summit, where expats are set to be accommodated.

Hyatt was also raided by FSSAI officials and found several shortcomings. The FSSAI report read that 87 kilograms of expired sweets were found in the confectionery area. A foul smell was also reported in the kitchen area in the findings. The FSSAI has laid the net wide and is inspecting the suppliers of the food items. The licences of the suppliers could also be at risk if found to have safety issues. Other food products like ghee, mayonnaise, lentils and sauces were sent to the lab for testing. The shortcomings before the BRICS 2026 summit put JW Marriott under the scanner. JW Marriott is a 5-star-hotel, serving expensive dishes to customers.

The BRICS 2026 summit is scheduled to be held on September 12 and 13. Discussions about linking the national currencies of members into CBDCs are likely to be discussed. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had proposed this in January and could lead the talks. Many other trade deals could be signed among the bloc members. Settling trade in local currencies will take first priority and not the US dollar. Security has also been beefed up around the capital for the BRICS 2026 summit.