His hands unwashed, the serving plates visibly broken and unkempt, the chaat vendor beckoned his next customer. A truck passed by, billowing out thick smoke as his cart perched precariously close to a stinking, muck-filled storm water drain.





Throwing every food quality norm to the wind, making a mockery of cleanliness and hygiene, the vendor knew he had none to fear. For, the City’s civic agencies had allowed thousands like him to peddle food on the streets with absolute disregard for something so clinically called “food safety.”



Far higher on the food sales chain, the restaurants had stringent quality norms, at least on paper. Issuing trade licenses, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had to periodically inspect the outlets, probing deep into the kitchens. Yet, the checks were anything but periodic. If they were, raids wouldn’t have exposed violations as blatant as storage of stale food, use of same utensils for vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, uncleaned walls and more.



The culprits weren’t small fry. In one raid, the Palike’s health inspectors found food being prepared in appalling conditions right inside some high profile restaurants in Vasanthnagar, Gandhinagar and Cunningham Road. If in one outlet, customers were served a day-old biriyani, another had stale chicken and mutton camouflaged in spicy dishes. The hotels were locked and their proprietors issued notices.



But the raids remain sporadic and far between. BBMP officials say by March 31 every year, the restaurants across Bangalore are required to renew their trade licence. This licence is issued only for a year after the Palike’s health department inspects the food outlets. One common issue that the inspection teams encounter is the direct use of frozen food without being reheated to room temperature. This practice is an invitation to ailments such as typhoid and gastroenteritis since bacteria grows very fast in frozen food stored for too long, and develop into the deadly spores.



Infrequent inspections



With over 1,500 restaurants under its umbrella, the Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association is not against the raids, provided they are regular and designed to enforce quality. But it wants the same strict rules to be applied to the street food vendors as well. As Vasudeva Adiga, the Association’s ex-president contends, “You can’t have double standards. We invest lakhs of rupees in setting up the infrastructure, pay all the taxes, and meet all the conditions. But the street food outlets, which have become a dirty business without any accountability, are allowed to mushroom unchecked.”



The implication is clear: If you don’t bring street food vendors under the hygiene-control net, you cannot prevent outbreak of diseases. The alternative to waking up after dengue, malaria, gas­­t­roenteritis, or typhoid breaks out, is to curtail the source of such ailments. “More than 50 per cent of the 20,000 plus carts in the city are run by food vendors. They prepare everything from chicken to fish to dosa to idli at home under unhealthy conditions and sell near gutters, triggering the stray dog menace, the mosquito menace… No action is taken because corporators and MLAs are hand-in-glove,” explains a hotelier, preferring anonymity.



Before sanctioning a trade licence to the restaurant, BBMP insists on a set of hygiene conditions: Availability of hot water for sterilization of utensils, purified drinking water, food-handler’s certificate to be obtained for staff after a thorough medical test, proper refrigeration facilities and a clean, tidy food preparation workplace. The restaurants would also have to display the trade license at the entrance. “We try our maximum to meet these requirements. But we have issues with the stringent conditions now being drafted (by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India). Some of these cannot be applied to Indian restaurants,” reasons Chandrashekhar Hebbar, the Association president.

Stringent FSAAI rules



Here’s a sample of the rules for cooking prescribed by the FSAAI: “Whenever cooking or reheating of food is done, it should be hot all the way through, It is especially important to make sure that food is cooked thoroughly. Re-use of cooking oil should be avoided. Food hot held at 60°c and cooled at 21°C within two hrs or cooled to 5°C in four hours and thereafter refrigerated might be reheated. Reheated food must reach a minimum internal temperature of 74°C. When using microwave to reheat, food must reach a minimum temperature of 74°C and stayed covered for five mins to allow the

temperature to equilibrate.”



The Authority insists that the food handlers should maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness. The employees would have to be provided clean, protective clothing, head covering, face mask, gloves and footwear. The hotel owners should ensure that these are worn every day. While preparing and handling food, the staff would be required to refrain from smoking, spitting, chewing, sneezing or coughing over any food, whether protected or unprotected. Besides, they should trim their nails and hair periodically, and always wash their hands with soap and clean potable water.



Some of these are tough conditions to monitor, complain the hoteliers. Explains one of them, “Even if we insist the workers don’t wear head caps. Some come up with excuses that they would lose hair if covered. They grow nails. If we force them, they just quit and join another hotel. There is a severe shortage of people in this sector. We are always running short of trained, skilled staff.” The Authority’s insistence on in-house food testing facilities is another bone of contention. FSAAI had also recommended that the potable water in use could be subjected to regular chemical and bacteriological examination at any recognized laboratory.



The city’s hoteliers had raised their objections to the Centre on some of the stringent conditions. However, they have no issues with many of the food safety provisions as a clean, hygienic food outlet would be a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). “Many restaurant owners have now realised that violating the basic hygiene requirements will go against them. They will lag behind the competition. Ultimately, customers will judge them and stop eating there,” notes a restaurant owner.



Transparency in food preparation is one sure way of gaining the customer’s confidence. The concept of “Darshinis,” now spread across the City, was introduced precisely to ensure this. The cooking and packaging processes are not hidden from the customer’s view. Thus, the name “Darshini.”





Food Safety and Standards Authority of India specifies the following general hygienic and sanitary practices for food business operators:





1. Food should be prepared in a clean, well-lit, sanitary place free from filth and environmental pollution.



2. Floors, ceilings and walls must be in sound condition, and easy to clean with no flaking paint or plaster.



3. The floor and skirted walls should be washed with disinfectants to keep away insects.



4. Water should be potable and continuously available. Chemical and bacteriological tests could be done at regular intervals at a lab.



5. No vessel or equipment that could cause metallic contamination should be employed in the preparation, packing or storage of food.



6. All equipment should be washed, dried and stacked at close of business to ensure that mould/ fungi and infestation don’t grow.



7. There should be efficient drainage system and adequate provisions for disposal of refuse.



8. The workers should use clean aprons, hand gloves, and head wears.

9. Persons suffering from infectious diseases should not be permitted to work. Any cuts or wounds should emain covered at all times.



10. All food handlers should avoid wearing false nails or loose jewellery