Amid ‘spitting in food’ row, Uttarakhand India frames guidelines for eateries — cameras in kitchens, IDs for staff

The guidelines, which come amid festival season and at a time when reports of food tampering and adulteration have caused health concerns, provides for checks and inspection and requires commercial food establishments to display their licences prominently.

Compulsory photo IDs and protective gear for food handlers, cameras in commercial kitchens, and boards clearly displaying whether the meat sold is ‘halal’ or ‘jhatka’ and hefty fines of up to Rs 1 lakh for transgressions – these are among the Uttarakhand government’s new food safety guidelines issued to the hospitality and food industry.

Issued by the state’s Food Safety and Drug Administration as the festival season rolls in, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), issued on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, food handlers must wear photo IDs, places new responsibilities on food vendors — including restaurants, hotels, dhabas, and meat traders. The guidelines come at a time when reports of food tampering and adulteration have caused health concerns.

Significantly, the Dehradun Police arrested two people last week for spitting in a teapot in Mussoorie. It also comes weeks after the government of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh made it mandatory for food establishments to “prominently” display to customers the names of “the operator, proprietor, manager, and other relevant personnel”.

According to the SOP, masks, gloves and headgears to ensure hygiene standards. CCTV cameras are mandatory in kitchen areas to ensure continuous monitoring.

Recent incidents of adulteration involving human waste and other contaminants in food and drinks have surfaced in different parts of the state. Such practices are in blatant violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” the guidelines, signed by Uttarakhand’s Health Secretary and FDA Commissioner R Rajesh Kumar, said, stressing the importance of controlling unhygienic habits such as smoking, spitting, or scratching body parts while handling food.

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The SOP includes several key measures to ensure better hygiene in food establishments across Uttarakhand. A critical requirement is that food establishments must not employ individuals suffering from infectious diseases in food-related activities.