Eateries violate hygiene norms

Rawalpindi:Insects have a habit of falling inside the cooking utensils, food, or serving plates while devouring meals at some city eateries. Eatery owners, cooks, or workers, who are not new to these uninvited guests, often remove them and serve the food. On an off chance, they land on the plates.

“The city fathers claim that as they receive complaints, the concerned department ensures food inspectors swing into action, inspect the place, and slap fines on owners under relevant law. However, charging paltry amounts as fines do not serve as a strong deterrent for the violators,” says Shafqat Abbas. “Eateries do not use quality vegetables and store meat for weeks in cold storage. Visitors allege that hotels have been serving rotten meat to customers. When I contacted a food official he cited a shortage of staff as one of the key reasons for not conducting regular checks,” says Ashiq Hussain.

Pindiites are not new to veiled surprises in food ordered from their favourite eateries. They have spotted dead insects, cockroaches, and houseflies on their plates. They saw even rats in their kitchens. Media reports about soaring prices but they do not report the extra nutrition the eateries serve.

“Some eateries that advise people to eat fresh were found serving fried cockroaches. The situation is no different, rather worse, at unlicensed eateries. Though many patrons of these eateries proudly claim taste is because of hygiene, a glance inside the cooking area is enough to shock the strongest hearts,” says Shabbar Ali. “Now there are countless eateries dotting the city, and officials are racking their brains wondering how they can monitor all of them. Many go unchecked. Most of the kitchens have unhygienic conditions, and the water used to clean plates and dishes is of poor quality. A large number of them do not sterilise serving plates and glasses,” says Anmol Fatima.