Kolkata: The National Restaurants’ Association of India (NRAI) has alleged that big restaurant brands whose banners and exteriors were being shown live on TV during the ongoing inspections, are being unfairly maligned even though they have not yet been found to have violated rules or served unhygienic food.“Names of reputed restaurant brands, including those on Park Street, are being shown on TV and announced during inspections, which is malicious since they have not been found guilty. Also, all inspectors don’t seem to be aware of the FSSAI food safety rules either. For instance, at my restaurant in Digha, the inspectors raised objection to the fact that tap water was being used to cook. They overlooked the fact that the water is filtered through an RO. At some restaurants, questions were raised for using tap water for cooking which is absurd since the water gets boiled while cooking,” said Sagar Daryani, national president of NRAI.NRAI has decided to ensure that every restaurant in the city has at least one employee who has undergone the Food Safety Supervisor Training & Certification (FOSTAC), as per the rules of the FSSAI.It has also decided to double the number of FOSTAC workshops — that are held for restaurant employees — from once every quarter to twice. Two such workshops are lined up on Sept 18 and 21 which are set to be attended by representatives of at least 100 restaurants from Kolkata and neighbourhood.The workshops and the enforcement of the rule to have a food supervisor mandatorily were partially triggered by the spate of inspections being carried out by KMC and the health dept at restaurants across the city and state. “As per the rule, every restaurant should have a FOSTAC trained employee for every 25 food-handlers they employ. Most follow the rule and attend workshops that are regularly conducted. Restaurants are not supposed to get a trade licence unless they comply with this. So, we assume that the rule is being adhered to. But it is difficult to ensure that every establishment follows the rule,” Daryani said.Larger establishments must scale up the number of supervisors to match their headcount. Large restaurants, meat processing centres, or central kitchens are usually inspected once or twice a year. Standard restaurants are inspected annually or during license renewals.Safety and hygiene were two key components of the food business, said Specialty Restaurants chairman & MD Anjan Chatterjee. “We follow the highest standards in both since we are a global firm with outlets in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London and USA where food safety rules are strict. In Kolkata, we have six trained food supervisors, eight in Mumbai, three each in Bengaluru and Chennai and two each in Delhi and Hyderabad. We welcome both inspectors and customers to have a look at our kitchens and storage,” added Chatterjee, owner of outlets like Mainland China, Café Mezzuna, Oh!Calcutta and Asia Kitchen.If conducted fairly and consistently, inspections should help improve safety and hygiene standards, said Shiladitya Chaudhury, owner and co-founder of Oudh 1590 and Chapter 2. “For years, FSSAI guidelines have been like a syllabus without a teacher. There was no screening to ensure rules were followed,” he added.GRAPH
