Juice from push-cart may wet & wound your throat

• Though people are advised to increase the intake of fluids to keep themselves hydrated in the hot months, roadside juice vendors use poor quality of water, ice, and colouring agents and all this in unhygienic conditions.

Every summer there is a spurt in the number of vendors and roadside shops that aim at cashing in on the soaring temperature by selling juices and cut fruits. But little does the public realise that instead of being healthy options to beat the heat, these shops are sources of infections.

Roadside juice vendors sell everything from local favourites like sharabath and lemon soda to cut fruit and rose milk. And, any spot is convenient for them to set up shop, be it under a tree or along main roads and at places that see a high number of footfalls like bus stands and bus stops. Some roadside shops are even setup over drainage lines, raising concerns of hygiene.

Though people are advised to increase the intake of fluids to keep themselves hydrated in the hot months, these vendors use poor quality of water, ice, and colouring agents and all this in unhygienic conditions. This raises the risk of people catching infections.

While many are unaware of the health hazards, they are willing to buy anything that will quench their thirst.  “I know they get water from public water taps which is not clean. But the quality of the product depends on the cost; most cannot afford to pay `30 or `40 for a glass that prepared hygienically,” said a bullock cart driver in Vellore. He said, the quality of water used in slightly more upmarket juice shops also cannot be relied upon.

Most of the vendors, who are seasonal traders, are there to make a quick buck and cut corners to make a little extra money. A glass of fruit juice costs about `10 or `15, while lemon soda is cheaper. Push cart vendors carry two tubs of water -- one to wash glasses in and the other to prepare the juice. Used glasses are dipped into the water and merely rinsed, raising the risk of germs being passed. Even ice used in the juice is made from water that is not clean. The other cause for concern is the colouring agents used in several juices.

“The colour of the fruit juices is what attracts me,” said Mahendhran, a salesmen of Katpadi, who stopped for a drink because he wanted to have something cool. Even the cut-fruits kept in the open, attracts flies and dust, he pointed out.

Karthikeyan, a papaya juice seller said, “Despite a water shortage, I carry two pots of water for my business every day.”

Designated Officer of Food Safety and Drug Administration, Vellore, Dr Sampathkumar said, “Unhygienic fruit juices will cause diarrhoea, typhoid, and cholera.” He said they had seized water bottles, cans and packets worth around `10,000, that did not have the expiry date, in a raid on Gandhi Road. The officials would  conduct surprise raids and checks soon, Sampathkumar said.