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.”
Where can mistakes occur?
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.
Food safety is not simple, and there are many factors at play. As A. Ramakrishnan, Designated Officer, Food Safety Department, Tiruvannamalai, explains, “There are permitted and non-permitted synthetic colours, flavours and preservatives. Using anything permitted in excess and non-permitted could turn problematic. Next is storage. Dry food and wet food require different levels of temperature. When temperature is not properly maintained for raw food, it could turn problematic. Again, storing prepared food and raw materials together can cause cross-contamination.”
One of the most common issues is the use of colouring agents, in dishes such as chilli gobi/chicken, that are not permitted by the FSSAI, he adds. “Another important thing is food-grade utensils. If utensils are rusty, it can render the food unsafe. Packaging is equally important as food-grade materials should be used. Packing ‘bonda’ or ‘bajji’ in newspapers is unsafe,” he observes. The health of food handlers is crucial. “The health of the person who cooks food should be supervised. He/she should wear masks and gloves, do hand-washing frequently, and wash the hands after using toilets. If unwell, he/she should not be allowed to cook,” he says.
What foods are the main concerns? Ms. Meenakshi has the answer. “Among my concerns are cut fruits and vegetable salads. They need to be stored at the right temperature. Sprouts come the second. These are now available in packets and the risk arises when they are consumed raw as we do not know whether safe and hygienic water was used. Then come fruit juices and shakes when milk is added to them. If milk is not stored at the right temperature, there is a risk of its getting spoiled and contaminated.”
Cabbage, she points out, gets spoiled very fast, and at several eateries, cabbage is added to fried rice, noodles and spring rolls. Cabbage-laden dishes should be consumed at the earliest. Likewise, any food, including chutneys and kormas, prepared with coconut can turn risky.
“Uncooked seafood is another area of concern because if not stored at the right temperature, it comes with the risk of contamination. Meat preserved for a long time is unsafe. When food, mostly meat, turns stale, it is covered with flavours and masala to mask the staleness. Consumers will not be able to find out,” she says. Using unapproved colours in dishes such as gobi manchurian or chicken manchurian and reusing oil are also worrying. Egg and vegetable puffs are unsafe if they are stored improperly. Eggs, if stale, can cause typhoid, Ms. Meenakshi says.
Shawarma has become a food of concern of late because of incidents of food poisoning. Ms. Meenakshi explains the critical points: “Cooking shawarma is a skill. Apart from the skill to prepare, the cook should know the technique and science behind it. Shawarma, if stale, can cause non-typhoidal salmonellosis. The raw egg used in mayonnaise, its accompaniment, if spoiled, comes with the risk of causing typhoid.”
Several components need to be considered, starting with purchase of meat, transport, storage, preparation, time of consumption since the time of preparation, and storing leftovers. “It follows a vertical cooking style. It is cooked in melting fat on a rotating skewer. A high pressure burner is used and this should heat the entire length of the skewer. Now, if there is not enough heat, the meat can be undercooked or not cooked at all, particularly on the top of the skewer,” she explains. There are several critical control points: source of meat, quality of meat, handling it while being sliced and marinated, and temperature at which the meat (cooked as well as uncooked) is stored. “The manpower should be trained, and I would suggest that the Food Safety Department come up with separate certification for outlets preparing shawarma,” she says.
Health troubles
The fast-changing food habits do have a widespread impact on health. G. Ramkumar, a medical gastroenterologist, says that with the food safety standards as they are now, there is a steady increase in the number of food-borne diseases. “The estimated number of food-borne diseases would double by the end of this decade, and the current estimated food-borne diseases are just a tip of the iceberg. Food-borne diseases are mostly self-limiting (with short-term mild symptoms). So, most of the patients do not seek medical care, making the incidence of food-borne diseases under-reported.”
A. Chezhian, senior assistant professor, Institute of Gastroenterology, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Madras Medical College, throws light on gastroenteritis. “Eating undercooked or improperly stored food or drinking infected water causes gastroenteritis. Symptoms can manifest within six hours of exposure and may last up to 48 hours. The symptoms are usually fever, vomiting, loose stools and stomach pain,” he says. He asks the people to be careful while eating out and make sure that hygiene measures are in place at eateries. Late night and untimely eating, skipping a meal, and excessive snacking should be avoided as they could cause digestive issues.
Janani Sankar, director, Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, explains how many children are affected by severe infection after consuming contaminated food at eateries. “Over the years, eating out has become the norm. With food delivery apps, people eat restaurant food more than once a week. Contamination could occur anywhere... , whether raw or cooked food, water, oil, hygiene cooking conditions and food handlers. We mainly see cases of typhoid fever due to contaminated food or water. When we take the history of older children, we have come across instances of their eating ‘pani puri’ at roadside shops, including those located outside schools. The cleanliness of the pot and the water used, as well as food handling, must be considered,” she says.
Dr. Janani says infections can be caused by bacteria as well as viruses. Children will have the symptoms of vomiting, abdominal pain, and loose stools. When the large intestine is involved, there could be blood or mucus in the stools and cramp pain in the abdomen. Infective diarrhoea needs to be treated with antibiotics.
T.S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, brings in another angle. “From the public health perspective, I have two views on safe food. One, of course, is unsafe food causing communicable diseases, such as diarrhoea and cholera. Secondly, food has a big role in non-communicable diseases as well.”
“In public health, we have the common source epidemic in which the issue of contamination arises from places such as a single or common kitchen. Again, contamination can happen with raw materials, improper cooking, and through food handlers. This leads to outbreaks of viral enteritis and diarrhoea,” he said.
What consumers can do?
“People may not be aware of how loaded a food is — with salt, trans-fat, or energy density. Consumption of energy-dense food can lead to obesity. This is why the nutritive value put out on the labels of food products must be in a language that people can easily understand. Putting out only numbers may not help people understand their dietary allowance. For instance, if a person eats a packet of chips, he/she should know how much of that day’s salt or trans-fat requirements have been taken care of,” he says.
It is important for consumers to choose the right places. “Check for hygiene rating and FoSTaC. You have a responsibility, especially when children are involved. Mindful eating is important,” Ms. Meenakshi adds.
