Food for thought?

There is some alarming news for die hard foodies who like to dine out. Twelve restaurants in the city have been forced to shut down for not following hygiene measures  at their properties. A surprise entry  by the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) to check restaurants and hotels in areas like Koramangala, Indiranagar, Rajajinagar etc led to the cancellation of the licenses of these eateries who were  levied with a fine of Rs 5 lakhs approximately.

Manoranjan Hegde, chief public health officer of the BBMP says, “This check during the month of April revealed the messiness at the restaurants. The hygiene factor in the restaurants was not matching any cleanliness measures. License of 12 restaurants got closed and 31 restaurants were sent a notice. We also noticed plastic continues to be used at restaurants. There are some basic guidelines that not just kitchens in restaurants but kitchens at homes too must follow.

Here the team did not witness the basic stuff as well and keeping in mind the health of the common public in this city, the health department cancelled the licenses.”

Residential areas like Koramangala, Indiranagar and other hotels close to the MNCs witness large number of consumers. Not every individual can afford a cook and most prefer eating out. Sadly these hotels and restaurants are not maintaining the hygiene levels.

 Divya Nagarajan, an employee in an MNC says, “Sometimes my husband, son and I like to dine out at a restaurant for some good food and wine and we expect quality, quantity and hygiene as a result. But most of the restaurants having closed kitchens leave us clueless. When there is a strand of hair in the food or some bits of paper and plastic, I complained to the management immediately.  However, with a sugar coated apology and a replacement assurance they just try moving on.”

Anand Hari says, “I seldom visit restaurants and my first preference is the cleanliness and the ambience of the place. It is because you can have an eye on the waste management, cooking style and cleanliness the hotels and restaurants follow. This is of utmost important for the management to follow to ensure a good health and safety to the consumers.”

These posh and fascinating places have boards saying ‘since 80s’ and some eye-catchy tag lines. Sometimes what they serve or deliver is just tasteless. Added garnishing and maintenance charges are applied over the food we order and consumers pay huge amounts for consuming that food which is not hygiene.

Nazim, lecturer from a private college who calls himself a foodie says, “I explore various places, restaurants and cuisines and this is the problem I face. I always expect garnishing outside my plate too. As I’m a working fellow, I order my food for the lunch expecting some quality food. But if these incidents repeat, many restaurants and online food chains get crashed down in no time. I hope they realise health is priority than profits.”