No matter the time of night or day, somewhere on the streets of Mumbai there is a plate of deep-fried, mashed-potato patties called vada-pav being served with green chutney; or a bowl of pav-bhaji, a spicy mixture of mashed tomatoes and vegetables garnished with a blob of butter, onion and a dash of lemon.

I myself am partial to the mixture of tangy, savoury puffed rice called bhel-puri – it’s just so tastefully mouthwatering that we often ignore questions like what conditions it’s cooked in, the hygiene of the food preparer or whether they’re wearing gloves. And indeed street food sellers in Mumbai usually do not wear gloves while preparing a dish, and exchange money with the same hand.



According to the Public Health Association, only 53% of Indians wash their hands with soap after defecating; 38% do so before eating and only 30% before preparing food.

Bacteria transmitted in food, like coliform, E coli, salmonella, shigella, staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas, are major causes of infections such as diarrhea, typhoid, food poisoning, urinary tract infections and pneumonia.

These bacteria are found in the feces of human and animals. They grow quickly if the food is kept in moist, warm conditions, and can enter human bodies if the vegetables or meat are not washed properly or there is faecal contamination during food production or handling. Bacteria can also reach your food through flies, exchange of cash with infected hands or through contaminated water.

Curious to know how safe Mumbai’s street food really was, I decided to send a sample for testing. I went to a 10x10ft stall, next to a busy road, exposed to the constant screaming of horns and gusts of dusty wind, with a busy railway station to the right and a bus depot to the left, from which every 10 minutes a new bus blew exhaust all over the pan of pav-bhaji and vada-pav being cooked and stored in the open facing a public toilet. A place very odd to cook, serve and eat. It was an easy guess that eating here would be an invitation for an upset stomach.

The man preparing the dish was cooking it in an open space without wearing gloves or a hat. He was drenched in sweat. I ordered a takeaway pav-bhaji. To my surprise, the bhaji (cooked vegetables) came packed in a plastic bag, while the pav (bread) was wrapped in a local newspaper.

I inquired about the hygiene measures taken while cooking. He seemed in no mood to acknowledge me. Thankfully, there was a different man who handled cash. Still, I felt I knew what the test report would look like.

Seven days later, however, when I got the report back from the lab, the result was astonishing: the food sample conformed to the recommended limits. It was suitable for consumption.

A detail from the Equinox Labs test.

I contacted the lab. They elaborated that coliform, E coli, salmonella, shigella, Staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas were all absent, and said yeast and mould levels were within acceptable limits. They cautioned, however, that the air, containers or plates weren’t tested. “This was close to the limit, yet not crossing the line – making it safe for consumption,” the researcher said.



While it was a relief that the food did not seem to be as polluted as its surroundings, this was just one dish from one stall. Pav-bhaji is also thoroughly cooked, while other dishes like sev-puri or bhel-puri require uncooked tomatoes, onions and coriander – which may or not be washed, in water that may or may not be contaminated.

The government has certainly passed enough laws about food hygiene. As Mumbaikars, it is our responsibility to follow those rules, and understand our role in the process. It will result in better living and health conditions – for Mumbaikars and visitors alike.

This article was commissioned as part of the Guardian’s Citizen Reporting Programme