E.coli lurking in B'luru street food, hotels no better

Cooked food also contaminated; study flags govt apathy

Favourite chicken momos and pani puri are teeming with harmful bacteria, including E.coli.

Indian street food vendors near the holy Ganges river. According to legends, Varanasi city was founded by God Shiva about 5000 years ago.

Bengaluru,

Your favourite chicken momos and pani puri are teeming with harmful bacteria, including E.coli.

As per a study, many popular snacks sold by street vendors in Bengaluru failed to clear safety tests, with lab reports of 50 samples showing the presence of harmful bacteria.

The results highlight the crisis in the unorganised sector that has faced government apathy for decades, while hotels — which are equally unhygienic — have remained impenetrable, thanks to a legal wrangle.

The study was the result of a collaboration between Mount Carmel Autonomous College and Ramaiah Advanced Testing Laboratory which highlighted the need for positive government intervention instead of periodical crackdown.

One sample each was collected as per FSSAI guidelines from 50 vendors spread across Koramangala, Vijayanagar, RT Nagar, Palace Guttahalli, Rajajingar, Wilson Garden, Shanti Nagar, Thippasandra, Vasanthnagar, Vyalikaval, Sudhama Nagar and Indiranagar.

Of the 25 samples of bhel puri, pani puri, masala puri and sukha puri, 14 had E.coli. Even cooked food like chicken was found to be contaminated. Of the six samples of chicken kebab and chicken momo, three had E.coli. The bacteria was also found in three of the five samosa samples.

Jubin Joseph, COO at Ramaiah Lab, said the presence of E.coli indicates water contamination. “The source is likely to be the water supplied to street vendors or the raw materials for the food they prepare, especially vegetables and chicken,” he said. 

The public trusts darshinis and star hotels as there is no one testing their food. A senior official in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said they have not checked the kitchens nor tested food from restaurants ever since the hotel owners’ association managed to get a stay from the court.