Fine dining

With the introduction of the display of hygiene ratings on the doors of restaurants as mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Haryana is all set to enhance the dining experience. Under the Eat Right India campaign of the Central government, the food regulator has readied a trained manpower of food supervisors who will periodically check the safety of food served. The hygiene rating serves to benefit all stakeholders. As health-conscious customers report instances of malpractice and naturally veer towards eateries boasting of good quality fare, food business operators that fail to meet the standards of food material, preparation, handling, storage and cleanliness will be forced to either pull up their socks or pull out. But the catch lies in the diligent implementation of the scheme. The temptation of it going the ‘inspector raj’ way while doling out ratings must be firmly resisted.

While Haryana is taking baby steps by making the scheme voluntary for the restaurants initially, Punjab has gone a step ahead towards offering a healthier platter. With the trend of ordering food online shooting northwards, Punjab has ordered all aggregators, including Swiggy and Zomato, to display the hygiene ratings of the eateries registered with them so as to allow the consumers

to make an informed choice and bridge the physical divide with the eateries they are promoting.

Quality food holds the key to a healthy nation. There has been an exponential rise in diet-related and lifestyle diseases in our country. There is hardly any household that does not have some member or the other not suffering from diabetes, hypertension, malnutrition or obesity. Regulatory measures address this burden and are crucial to preventive healthcare. The FSSAI would do well to also make it compulsory for the eateries to list allergens in the dishes served. The suffering caused to people allergic to various food items — commonly gluten, lactose, nuts and eggs — also needs be addressed.