It is called charcoal shawarma. By 4 p.m., the food kiosk on Road No. 8 in Hyderabad’s Habsiguda, a middle-class residential area surrounded by government offices, is up and ready. In this case, it is cooked over hot coals unlike the traditional kabab which receives heat through its meat from all sides. The minced meat topped with some small vegetables and served over bread with creamy dressing as well as other sauces spread across one flatbread tastes delicious. As early as six o’clock in the evening, a long snaking line already forms of people wait to take home this mouthwatering rolled-roti snack.
“Can you make one with fresh meat instead of minced meat,” a customer asks. “No , it will take time; first I have to get done with this,” says the youth manning the kiosk, his hands moving like clockwork.
Is there any difference between freshly grilled meat and minced? This is what many people ask themselves when they eat out because food safety is already becoming a serious issue in Hyderabad where temperature reaches forty degrees Celsius.
Egg and oil are its main ingredients according to Telangana State Food Laboratory official adding that if not fresh or poorly stored then salmonella may appear inside the mixture leading to its spoilage.” We can only give an accurate assessment if samples are kept under appropriate temperatures while transporting them to our office since we might end up giving wrong results,” he says.
For roadside eateries and restaurants with high footfall, the dangers are closely tied to hygiene. High day temperatures, prolonged food storage time, high throughput of food items, long working hours for staffs limited water supply low standards of hygiene minimal kitchen oversight has made eating out risky proposition in the city. Adding the complexity of food delivery apps makes the experience even more daunting.
Some of these restaurants are however going out their way reassure their customers who frequent their premises. The Taaza Kitchen in Tarnaka, a residential- cum-commercial locality in western Hyderabad, is one of the most popular and frequented restaurants among locals. The main attraction is the south Indian fare available in the mornings and evenings. “It typically sees 2,500 to 3,000 visitors daily, with the numbers increasing during the weekends,” says Raju, the restaurant manager.
From outside, it would be easy to tell that these people embrace cleanliness; everyone from counter clerks to servers wear gloves and masks. Inside each room has drainage holes at its bottom to avoid water logging. “We make fresh batter and food every day by disposing off left overs at night only to buy limited supply stocks so as not to use expired products; we refill our stock when it runs out,” explains Raju.
Typically, afternoon at Grill House restaurant in Lothkunta, Hyderabad’s east is quiet. One of the reasons is that it opens as late as one o’clock in the afternoon while the other reason could be attributed to hot weather conditions. The seat area that adjoins order counter is separate from the rest of the restaurant. In January this year, 17 people who had consumed shawarma here fell sick leading to its closure by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation authorities. Santosh has been working here for three years and he sits on his chair at the counter. “The hotel was closed down for almost a month and a half but reopened only two months ago,” he says. “Initially, sales were slow due to news and concerns aired on TV about shawarmas but they are now gradually picking up again.” We are located on one of the main roads; as such, fewer regular customers or many passers-by can stop by our food kiosk,” adds Santosh.
Breach and enforcement
This incident triggered citywide raids on restaurants across town conducted by food safety officials. Another case in point was when worms were found in a Cadbury’s chocolate packet at a supermarket located at Ameerpet. Subsequently, the GHMC Commissioner has partnered with Food Safety Department Commissioner to conduct inspections on eateries and restaurants throughout Hyderabad to detect any hygiene lapses within them. Task forces consisting three-four food safety officers each have been formed for this purpose which will be accompanied by their commissioners during surprise visits into localities with high number of restaurants according to Balaji Raju who works as an Assistant Food Controller with GHMC.
An inspection report is then prepared by the Food Safety Officer (FSO). The FSO takes samples of suspected items if necessary and sends them to State Food Laboratory for analysis. Where there are minor deviations from required standards, an Improvement Notice will be issued by Designated Officer (DO) giving the defaulting party at least 14 days to rectify. For serious offences, Show Cause Notice is issued. In case of unsatisfactory response from FBO (Food Business Operator), DO is authorized to adjudicate. The penalties are determined by the type of violation and range from fines for substandard or misbranded food that cost up to ₹3 lakh and possession of injurious adulterant with a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh.
Where an offence is grave enough to attract imprisonment, DO sends recommendations that culminate into his being referred to either a regular court or special one depending on the nature and severity of violation.
Whenever such teams come across restaurants not meeting health requirements, they identify kitchen manager who then undergoes training in sanitation upkeep. “This is a program whereby our department convenes monthly awareness sessions on hygiene for about 500–600 hotels and other eating places in collaboration with National Restaurant Association of India; in addition there are several street food vendors operating within this city whose hygiene conditions are questionable,” added Balaji. Consequently, concerned departments have started identifying these people so as to conduct around 600–700 vendor trainings on maintaining good hygienic practices every month.
According to him, the responsibility of maintaining hygiene on behalf of many restaurant chains with multiple branches has been delegated to supervisors who are not fully qualified. For example, Rayalaseema Ruchulu and Shah Ghouse had their cleanliness queried in the past. “Those restaurants were given notices earlier about hygiene standards which were maintained temporarily though now they have knowingly or unknowingly broken them once more,” he notes.
The Commissioner of Food Safety Department, R.V. Karnan, argues that participating in a Hygiene Rating Certification Program can be beneficial to restaurateurs. The voluntary program rates food establishments based on observed food safety and its conditions during the inspections. Restaurants will receive a certificate for hygiene rating as evidence of commitment to high quality cleanliness and safety.
Hazardous chemicals
In this regard, there is an increasing alarm around the world concerning the health risks of Indian food ingredients such as over 500 samples flagged by European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed due to contamination. On May 21st,the system identified Rooibos pineapple tea from India containing ‘Chlorpyrifos’ and ‘Chlorpyrifos-methyl,’ organophosphate insecticides amongst other herbal teas. Also, another harmful chemical related with learning disabilities was found in raisins produced from India on 17th May.Despite being banned in over forty countries, these substances continue to be available through online shipping platforms in India.
EU labs’ findings read like a toxic cocktail including among others ethylene oxide mercury; Aflatoxin B1; Multiple pesticide residues; Tricyclazole; Fenpropathrin; Hydrocyanic acid; Nitrofurans; Pyrrolizidine alkaloids; Cadmium etc.
Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) is India’s national watchdog amidst local concern about low sanitation levels and international anxiety about unwholesome victuals.This organisation manages a budget worth INR6.75 billion to ensure the safety of food in a country with a population of 1.4 billion. In 2021-22, its analysts reviewed 144,345 samples and found 32,934 of them non-conforming -– about 22% failed the safety test.
Knee-jerk reaction or hand-holding?
Nevertheless, these figures are not the whole story. The FSSAI tested less than one and a half lakh samples in a country with more than a billion people and countless places to eat from street vendors to first-class restaurants. As a result, customers have concerns over what they buy online or enjoy at high-end cafes while staying in Hyderabad with less than fifty food safety officers so it begs the question if such an inadequate force can effectively keep an eye on many restaurants serving millions within the city.
“It is good but it needs to be comprehensive; you cannot just punish and say there has been action taken by the authorities. This should involve educating food handlers who don’t know what ought to be done and what should not,” said Dharmendra Lamba, President of Telangana Chefs Association.“The industry as a whole should be improved by the authorities.”
“For example when someone is going for an examination he knows what he has studied for. Similarly after inspection if authorities come back after three months for re-inspection and things remain like that then responsibility lies with operator,” he concluded his conversation.
Food Business Operators should concentrate on providing sanitation and serving sanitarily food as it will benefit their business in the long term, he explains. “If a customer falls ill after dining at an eatery, they are less likely to come back, which would result into trust being lost. Maintaining cleanliness is not inexpensive but the price of ignoring it is much pricier,” says Lamba.
