All that looks & tastes good is not healthy

Roadside eateries dishing out ‘delicacies’, particularly Indianised Chinese, have mushroomed in the nook and cranny of Cuttack. Despite being made in poor hygienic conditions all over, these dishes have heavy demand because of their low cost and taste quotient. As per an estimate by the civic body, the city has more than 15,000 roadside eateries dishing out vegetarian, non-vegetarian and Chinese delicacies. Most of these eateries do brisk business only in the evening along roadsides. Besides the unhygienic ways in which the food is cooked and served, with every chance of dust on the road and insects settling down on the food, the leftover food littered all around the vicinity adds to the unhealthy atmosphere in the locality.As it is, a majority of these eateries use poor quality of water, oil and other ingredients to prepare the food. There are even allegations of bad quality chicken, unfit for human consumption, being used by many of these stalls. Add to it the rampant use of artificial colouring agents and chemical preservatives.“The cooking oil is often reused. The plates are not cleaned properly. Many of these eateries are exposed to dust and they do not cover the food,” says Sneha Patnaik, a resident of College Square here.Sources said, most of these eateries do not use sufficient water for washing the utensils, particularly the used plates. Though health officials in the city are aware of such unhygienic practices being followed in these eateries, no serious efforts have been taken to curb the menace. The lack of frequent inspections by health officials has only  encouraged more eateries to come up. Even roadside corners like in College Square, Buxi Bazaar and Dolomundai now have 10 to 15 roadside eateries.“Even educated, wealthy people can be found buying food from these eateries just for the taste they offer. Many of these food joints function from near drainage canals which helps them do away with the leftover and cleaning,” says Amarendra Mishra, a retired  medicine specialist.Doctors warn eating out at such places could cause food poisoning and acute diarrhoeal diseases, typhoid being a food-borne infection. The reuse of cooking oil may even lead to cancer. Besides, use of unapproved food colours, which are mostly chemical-based, could cause health problems. “These colours are used to make the food attractive. Sometimes, flavours are used above the accepted level. Though such things cannot be analysed by the common man, there are some basic things that people can do such as checking the  hygiene of the eatery, washing of utensils, ensuring the food is covered and protected from flies, insects and dust. Such awareness is required,” said City Health Officer Nrusingh Charan Raj. The increasing number of eateries is definitely a cause of concern as the hygiene level is low at most places, says Commissioner of Cuttack Municipality Rabinarayan Nanda, adding that teams have been formed to inspect roadside eateries.Though the Commissioner did not divulge the exact number of licences issued this year for operating roadside eateries, he admitted the number far exceeds the number of licences issued.“Inspections would be carried out in all parts of the city frequently. Last month, we carried out raids almost everyday on roadside eateries in the city and the process will be repeated after there is some respite from the flood situation,” he said.