DNA Hygiene for Kitchens: ‘Waiter, there is a fly in my soup’

You order a plate of pav bhaji and at the first bite you suddenly find a cockroach in it. Is it enough to put you off eating? For some college students, this is a daily occurrence. And when Jignesh Parmar found a cockroach in the plate of pav bhaji he had ordered in the canteen of a reputed college in Andheri, he was surprised but not shocked.

College canteens in the city are quite plagued by pests. Students allege that canteens are not regular in pest control and are unable to keep their food storage free from pests. Besides cockroaches, flies and other insects are also found in the food.

“It’s not the first time I found insects in my food. In college canteens, ‘waiter there is a fly in my soup’ is a common complaint. The canteen staff ought to really take concrete measures to ensure that it does not happen,’’ said Parmar, who is in his second year, Bachelors in Mass Media.

Another student, Himanshi Kothari, from Sathaye College, Vile Parle said, ‘’Pests cause a major havoc in our canteen as well. There is a huge rodent problem and nobody seems to do anything about it. Students also have no choice but to eat there since we cannot always carry tiffin. It’s either the canteen or the junk food stalls outside the college.’’

Though experts recommend that college canteens should carry out pest control every week, reality is a different story. Most colleges conduct such exercises after long intervals.

RK Komath, canteen in charge, Ruparel College, Matunga, said, ‘’We have given the contract to a private agency for pest control twice or thrice in a year, while the municipality conducts pest control outside the canteen every month.’’

Similarly, JA Shaligram from VJ Vaze College, Mulund, says, “We have pest control every 15 days and try to keep the pest level in check. It is a mammoth task but we are trying to do our best.’’

Unfortunately, even the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India Act does not directly state the number of times pest control should be done in licensed canteens. It only indirectly hints that it should be done under cleaning. Dilip Shrirao, Joint Commissioner, FDA, “Under part 2,4 and 6 of the schedule 4 of the Act, it is mentioned that the canteen should ensure that there is cleanliness in the surroundings. But only in case of meat shops does it specifically state that pest control need be done. Otherwise, it is understood that canteens have to perform pest control regularly. But no strict guidelines have been laid down for it.’’