Roasted peanuts, chana chat or some way side snack cannot be served in newspapers anymore. Kerala Commissioner of Food Safety Navjot Khosa, in an order, has prohibited the use of newspapers and other printed papers for packing or serving of food items for one year.
The commissioner pointed out in the order, that packing or wrapping in printed paper would cause chemical and microbiological contamination of food. The order also says that this practice was equal to slow poisoning.
The order was issued as per Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act,2006, which enables the commissioner to prohibit in the interest of public health, the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of any article of food, either in the whole of the State or any area or part thereof for such period, not exceeding one year.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) last December had last year advised to ban paper wrappings pointing that printing ink would cause cancer. The present order is based on that FSSAI direction.
Meanwhile, Kerala Minister for local self-governments KT Jaleel on Saturday said that hotels, restaurants, fruits and vegetable shops in Kerala will have to treat the waste from their establishments themselves at their own expense.
Speaking at a function held in Thrissur to felicitate Dr A S Sudheesh Kumar, who is in charge of the animal birth control (ABC) center in the corporation.
Minister said that soon government would release an order that hotel owners and traders will have to make effective arrangements to treat the waste. He added that If they fail to establish it within September 15 their licenses would be cancelled.
“There are many limitations for the government and local self-governments to run centralized waste management plants. If the plant stops working even for one day, waste management goes awry . That is why the government has decided to encourage private investors to start centralized waste management systems. One such project, worth Rs 300 crore, is coming up at Brahmapuram in Kochi. Another waste treatment plant in Kozhikode by a foreign private organization is also on the cards,“ said the minister, quotes The Times of India.