Coimbatore eateries asked not to wrap food in newspapers

COIMBATORE: The food safety department and the Coimbatore district administration on Thursday instructed bakeries and roadside eateries not to wrap food in newspapers anymore.

All bakeries, small eateries and push-cart vendors were issued an advisory to stop serving and packing food in old newspapers. This is against an age-old practice of serving hot bhajjis, bondas and puff pastries in plates covered with newspapers or wrapping them in newspapers for parcels.

"Studies have shown that the ink or dye used in newspapers is made of hazardous chemicals which could even be carcinogenic," said a statement from district collector, T N Hariharan.

"Also newspapers lying unused and stacked up in closed spaces for a long time could also have formation of bacteria and fungus which could cause indigestion and many infections to the intestines," he said.

As an alternate, the food safety department has suggested the usage of non-hazardous chemical products like "banana leaves" to wrap and serve food.

Many roadside eateries are bewildered by the new rule. "Old newspapers cost only Rs 15 for a kg, and if we are smart enough to cut them into the right parcelling size or serving size earlier in the day, they are much easier," said T Dhandapani, who runs a small lunch serving push-cart on Puliakulam Road.

"As a backup we could buy brown paper covers from Big Bazaar Street for around Rs 40 a day, but banana leaves are far-fetched and expensive. They also get cut easily and so we should wrap newspaper around the banana leaves too," said an eatery owner.

Most of the biriyani outlets and restaurants serve their rice portions in banana leaves which are in turn wrapped in newspapers.

However, environmentalists and health experts said this trend would only lead to more usage of thin plastic. "If you ban plastic, besides brown paper, they will start using thin plastic of low microns," said Puducherry-based environmentalist D Saravanan.

"They have to clearly ban newspapers and plastics," he said. "Plastics not only harm the environment but is also dangerous when it comes into contact with hot food, because the toxic components can leech into food," said Saravanan.