As the Kerala government steps up its initiatives to ensure food safety, authorities have conducted massive inspections across the state and penalised many hotels and restaurants – small and big. This has led to some changes.
The court has cancelled the fine imposed on eateries which did not meet quality standards, but the state government would likely appeal the ruling, it is learned.
Imposing a fine is the fastest action that can be taken when a violation is found. This acts as a deterrent to many. Officials are forced to resort to fines and such measures because a court case could drag on endlessly. And we have seen the benefits.
Safe food still remains a pipe dream though examinations are held routinely. We cannot guarantee safe food just by keeping the kitchen clean. When I was the Food Safety Commissioner, I found that the employees at a government guest house had stored their medicine inside the fridge. Many hotels just stash together food, medicine or anything that needs to be cooled.
Refrigerators have to be handled with utmost care. They could be breeding grounds for germs if not properly cleaned. There are exact criteria for storing meat in a refrigerator but only a few people abide by it. Meat has to be labeled with date before it is put inside the freezer. The batches of meat have to be taken out in the order of their placing. The first batch comes out first. But this is seldom adhered to.
Cook’s personal hygiene is also key to food safety. We can see profusely sweating cooks and servers in most of our small-scale eateries. Many places employ migrant labourers to cook porotta. Their hygiene is hardly a concern for the restaurant owners.
Raw materials in the kitchen have to be most keenly examined. After a youngster died after eating a shawarma, scientific examinations found that the cauliflower used in it contained poisonous traces. We may take care to rinse off pesticide traces from vegetables when we cook at home but how many eateries would do that? Many cooks even add prohibited additives to show off their skills.
We should ensure that there is a mechanism to prevent any malpractice leading to the tampering of lab reports after food samples are sent to laboratories. There are loopholes in the existing sample coding system.
Only microbiology laboratories can check poisonous elements in food. The Food Safety Department works without enough staffers or vehicles. As many as 86 posts are vacant in the department.
Local self-government bodies should take the lead in preparing a set of criteria for the functioning of restaurants. Patrons should be allowed to have a look at the kitchen.
Kerala lacks strong intelligence systems or faultless examinations facilities to ensure food safety. The bakers’ decision to stop colouring bakery products is a welcome move. But we need a strong system to bring to the law those who continue to do it. We should start grading all eateries, like we do with star hotels.
(The writer is a former Food Safety Commissioner and Thiruvananthapuram District Collector)