In food we trust: laying out health and hygiene norms

In food we trust: laying out health and hygiene norms

In a metro city like Chennai, food is available almost round the clock. Whether dining out or ordering online, people’s consumption pattern has constantly evolved over the years. From an occasional indulgence to being a necessity, eating out has transformed like never before. While multiple reasons may be cited for the changing food habits, the basic question remains: how safe is the food on your plate?

Tamil Nadu’s streets may have turned home to numerous restaurants over the years. But the work is cut out for the Department of Food Safety. With nearly six lakh licensed and registered food businesses, food safety officials have the huge task of ensuring that the food that is served is safe. Health officials have made food safety a priority after recent incidents sounded the alarm. The incident in Namakkal district — in which a 14-year-old girl died after consuming chicken shawarma in a restaurant and 43 persons, including her family members and medical college students, fell ill — set off checks on restaurants all over the State. “We have prioritised food safety, with the focus on food that can get spoiled easily. Our food safety teams have been taking up regular inspections at hotels, and food items, such as coconut chutney, buttermilk and curd, and meat products are being brought on the radar. There is continuous monitoring,” says Health Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi.

According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), dairy products, meat and meat products, including poultry, fish and fish products, egg and egg products, prepared food and Indian sweets are high-risk categories. “Special drives are going on, and we take surveillance samples [of raw materials and prepared food for monitoring purpose]. The number of food business operators is huge and increasing in the State. From 5.7 lakh registrations/licences in March 2023, the number has increased to six lakh now. We provide Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) for food handlers and Hygiene Ratings for food businesses. The number of training sessions has increased 10-fold from last year,” according to a senior official.

He adds that monthly targets, at 25, are set for every food safety officer to collect surveillance samples. “We have nearly 250 field officers, and will be adding 119 more to the strength.”

Experts say food can turn unsafe at any point before it lands on the plate. It could be anywhere in the entire process, from the time of preparation to consumption. The temperature of cooking, storage condition, raw materials, including water and accompaniments served, and hygiene — all these are key factors, says Meenakshi Bajaj, dietician, Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital in Chennai.

One of the most common violations that food safety teams come across is failure to maintain kitchen hygiene, officials say. P. Satheesh Kumar, Designated Officer, Food Safety Department, Chennai, has come across many safety concerns over improper storage of meat. “Freezers are not up to the mark. There have been instances of stale meat being stored,” he says. Cleanliness of kitchens is another area of concern. “The kitchens are not cleaned, and the utensil-washing areas are left dirty. Pest-control measures are also lacking,” he points out.

Some findings have been shocking. “Rotten fruits from the Koyambedu market in Chennai are purchased at cheap rates for preparing juices. We were shocked to see such rotten fruits being used in a juice shop. In another hotel, we saw stale meat and fish being used,” he recalls.