Restaurants maintain dual food safety in Covid situation

by Mehboob Inamdar

Aurangabad, June 6:

The restaurant owners maintained dual safety of food items while providing parcel and take away in Covid situation in the city. It may be noted that the State Government imposed strict curbs in March to contain the spread of the second wave of a pandemic virus.

In food safety, measures are taken to prevent foodborne illness in the preparation, handling and storage of food. From farm to customers via a supplier, restaurants may encounter some health hazards during their journey through the supply chain.

The district administration relaxed some norms for restaurants with the decline in patients within the jurisdiction of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). There are 1200 restaurants within the jurisdiction of AMC. Of them, 60 per cent were shut down as their owners were unable to maintain expenses in a pandemic situation.

So, 40 per cent restaurants were providing parcel and take away service. However, it was not an easy task to give service to customers. They needed to take care of staff, food and customers simultaneously. There was strict vigilance of the district administration on restaurants to follow all norms.

Commenting on this, Kunal Laharia, a member of Aurangabad District Hotel’s Restaurant Owners Association, said that they had to maintain dual food safety in a pandemic situation.

“We wash raw items with chlorine before preparing food. We used pest control in storage to keep it safe from any kind of insect. The kitchen surface is being disinfected regularly. The personal hygiene of staff was maintained. They wear masks and hand gloves and their temperature is checked daily, using hand gloves,” he said.

Laharia said that there was no compromise with hygiene as safety is important from the customers' health point of view.

Another restaurant owner Sachin Rathod said that they maintained extra care of food during the pandemic situation. “We need to wash all utensils with hot water. Unlike in normal situation, we spend money on sanitiser, soap and disinfectant besides regular food safety," he added.