What was meant to be a happy occasion turned into tragedy when Manvi, a Class 5 student, died of suspected food poisoning in Patiala last month, a day after eating cake served at her 10th birthday party, her family alleged.
Other members of her family also reported severe food poisoning.
Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh has ordered an inquiry into her death.
Even as police are investigating the case and have arrested three persons in connection with Manvi’s death, the matter brings into question the safety of cloud kitchens, food safety and hygiene regulations in India.
Cloud kitchens or ghost kitchens?
Although nuanced differences exist, cloud kitchens, which do not have physical dining space, are also sometimes referred to as ghost kitchens, commissary kitchens or virtual kitchens since they exist only on food delivery apps. The concept has inarguably meant a 180-degree turn for the food industry in the past decade.
Online ordering platforms, kitchen automation and mobile apps have democratised the process of running a restaurant.
Consulting firm Wazir Advisors estimated the cloud kitchen business at Rs 65.35 billion in FY 22. Research firm IMARC pegged its size at US$ 969.5 million in 2023, expecting it to balloon to US$2,948 million by 2032.
Roughly translated, it means a growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2% during the period of 2024-2032.
While statistics may differ, there's no denying the robust growth and expansion expected in this segment in the coming decade.
Unregulated market
The numbers look good, but there’s a downside to the story. The market as of now is unregulated, with questionable safety standards and easy access to consumers through technology.
A staggering number of the cloud kitchens in Patiala are not registered with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
They manage to bypass regulations as a large percentage of their business comes from Instagram and Facebook, through word of mouth, local exhibitions and fairs.
This is especially true of bakery items and home bakers. While food delivery apps like Zomato and Swiggy make FSSAI license mandatory for eateries listed in their apps, Instagram has no such rules.
According to Instagram’s Commerce Eligibility Requirements you “should” get a business license to sell, but you don't “need” one. As a result, online users can create a shopping experience directly from their profile.
Simply put, selling then is as easy as making a profile.
The law and what it says
In theory, the FSSAI food safety registration is mandatory for anyone interested in getting into the food business – which covers everything from manufacturing, processing, packing, distribution and storage to food handling. Small businesses or startups with an annual turnover of up to Rs 12 lakh can apply for basic FSSAI food safety registration, which has to be upgraded to state or Central licence once the Rs 12 lakh limit is crossed.
For the Patiala incident, the bakery in question was registered as a small vendor and had no license. It was delivering food through a food delivery app and was listed as a cloud kitchen.
The police have made three arrests even though the owner is missing.
Manvi’s family has alleged that the name of the bakery mentioned in the food bill and that of the actual bakery were different. They said that food for the birthday party had been rerouted through another bakery.
The cloud kitchen concept gained popularity during the Covid crisis, but in the absence of a regulating body the authorities announced a fine of Rs 5 lakh and prison terms for those selling food without a license. Before this, in September 2019, FSSAI issued a mandatory rule for restaurants and hotels. They had to display their hygiene ratings at the door of the eatery. The ratings, given by certified food inspectors, aim to educate people about the quality of food served.
No dearth of back-kitchen horror stories
While Manvi’s death has been tragic, the horror stories of deplorable conditions in the back kitchens are unending. Last year in April, in one such allegation that was covered extensively by national media, a Reddit user played whistleblower. “I work part-time in a food delivery platform. Today… I literally saw the guy put the momo back (in) the steamer after it fell on the dirtiest floor I’ve ever seen. I have no words to say,” shared user @dozing_dog, posting pictures of a dirty, cramped kitchen as evidence.
Joining in the thread, yet another user shared a similar story of having encountered a roach in his food. “Don’t order momos from ***,” it said, naming a restaurant.
Cases of food poisoning causing fatalities are not uncommon. In October last year, 24-year-old D Nair died after eating a shawarma at a hotel in Kerala’s Kochi. As it is with the rampant use of pesticides, there are misleading food ingredient labels on packaged food items, compromising the health of consumers.
Life is not cheap. People or parties neglectful of health and hygiene should not be let off easily.
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