Use newspapers for reading not wrapping

Pushpa Girimaji

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Is it true that the government has prohibited the use of newspapers for wrapping food? But I see a number of small restaurants, roadside eateries that sell samosas and bread pakoras, bhel and chat sellers still using newspaper. Even paranthas are packed in them. Can I complain against such usage? What is the punishment prescribed in such cases?

As of now, the government has not prohibited, by law, the use of newspapers for wrapping food. Therefore, there is no punishment prescribed for such usage of newspapers. What the government is trying to do is to first initiate measures to discourage its use in the food industry as well as in homes by creating awareness about its hazards. So the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an advisory in December last year, on the dangers inherent in the use of newspapers for packing, serving and storing food items and has asked all State Commissioners of Food Safety to initiate a systematic and sustained campaign against such usage. The State Commissioners have been asked to create awareness about the harmful effects of using newspapers among all stake holders and restrict and control the use of newspapers for packing, serving and storing food. 

Having said that, I would like to point out that consumers have a right to safe goods and services and that includes safe food and usage of newspapers for wrapping or serving food violates that right as the food so wrapped becomes unsafe. So under the Consumer Protection Act, you can lodge a complaint against those who serve such unsafe food and seek remedial measures, including punitive damages. 

Is this practice prevalent only in certain regions or is it prevalent throughout the country? If such usage is harmful, why was the practice allowed all these years? Lastly, what are the adverse effects of using the newspaper? What role can I, as an individual consumer play here? 

This practice is not restricted to any one part of the country, but is prevalent everywhere –newspapers are used for packing anything from ‘paan’, pakoris and paranthas to absorb the oil from fried food stuff. Unfortunately, no one had taken cognizance of it till now. It is good that at least now, the food regulator has taken this initiative, but this has to be followed up with mandatory prohibition of the use of newspapers for wrapping food. 

As for adverse effects, well, there are two problems with neswspapers — one is the toxicity of the ink used for printing the newspaper and the other is the possible presence of pathogenic organisms on the surface of the newsprint. Both render the food wrapped in it, unsafe.

The food regulator’s advisory explains best the adverse effects of using such wrapping. Pointing out that “Indians are being slowly poisoned due to newspaper being widely used as food packaging material by small hotels, vendors and also in homes in lieu of absorbent paper”, the FSSAI says that “Foods contaminated by newspaper ink raise serious health concerns since the ink contains multiple bioactive materials with known negative health effects. Printing inks may also contain harmful colors, pigments, binders, additives, and preservatives. Besides chemical contaminants, presence of pathogenic microorganisms in used newspapers also poses potential risk to human health”. 

It also says that “Newspapers and even paper/ cardboard boxes made of recycled paper may be contaminated with metallic contaminants, mineral oils and harmful chemicals like phthalates which can cause digestive problems and also lead to severe toxicity. Older people, teenagers, children and people with compromised vital organs and immune systems are at a greater risk of acquiring cancer-related health complications, if they are exposed to food packed in such material”..

So what you can do is to educate other consumers, specially children and also food vendors/restaurateurs on the issue. You can also play a decisive role by refusing to buy food served or packed in newspapers. Similar resistance by other consumers would force the restaurants and street side vendors to desist from using newspaper for wrapping or serving food. You can also educate and discourage friends, relatives and other consumers from using newspapers to absorb excess oil from fried foodstuff. Remember, however, hygienically the food is prepared, when wrapped in newspapers, it gets contaminated and becomes unsafe.