Priyanka P, Sanjana G
Chennai: Religious institutions in Tamil Nadu seem to have been forgotten by the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) department as renewal of licenses for restaurants remain their primary focus. Most churches, mosques and gurudwaras remain unaware that they come under the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Licenses have been given to 38 temples across the state, but only 10 have been renewed so far.
The act formulated in 2011 requires hygienic preparation and packaging of the food items served at places of worship. It also calls for authorities to understand the need for food safety, personal hygiene, cleanliness, disinfection and waste management. The FSDA department of Tamil Nadu has not called for strong enforcement of this act.
In February this year, the Vadapalani Murugan temple played host to a training program organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Workers from temples across Tamil Nadu attended it.
“We were told by the trainers that we should keep the cooking area clean and serve food on ellai donna (leaf cups), among other things.” said the prasadam stall owner C.S Srinivasan, who stood talking to the Food safety officer in-charge, A. Ramraj. The stall which he leased for Rs 60,10,000 had packets of laddoos and murukkus fast vanishing from behind its shelves.
A small gateway next to where they stood lead to a dingy kitchen. Inside, a few men sat on the floor, rolling laddoos. A lone table fan whirred in no particular direction as the men sat shirtless, sweating profusely. Their shirts hung on a line not too far from the stove. “We were also told to wear caps and gloves to prevent the spread of infection.” However, no gloves were in sight. Srinivasan took a laminated paper hanging on a stained wall. It was their food license and its renewal is due in a month’s time. “We already made the payment. We are just waiting for it to be renewed” he said. Ramraj who pays a monthly visit to the temple is yet to confirm the renewal.
“Prasadam is among the most unhygienic preparations in the temple. It has become commercial as people do not know how to make it properly. The workers are often shirtless. The situation is much better now compared to what it was in the past as temples have finally acknowledged the existence of the act,” said an anonymous source at the FSDA.
The training program was conducted in collaboration with Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India), a Mumbai-based non-governmental organization,FSSAI and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department (HRNC). The workers were taught regarding the Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) — registration, process of control, personal hygiene, pest control, product testing, labeling and auditing. The pamphlet for the training also stipulates the need for RO purified drinking water.
“We provide canned water here. I believe corporation water is better than packaged water. As a child, I drank it and nothing happened to me. Media and corporates are telling us what is good and bad for us. Only poor temples without enough infrastructure have hygiene issues” said S Sivakumar, Deputy Commissioner of the Vadapalani temple.
Tamil Nadu also has an Annadhanam Scheme that was introduced by former Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa in 2002. It offers mid-day meals to devotees in selected temples. The meals are made using public donation. According to the HRNC website, as of 2015, the scheme has been implemented in 724 temples across the state. “We have nothing to do with the Annadhanam scheme. It is taken care of by the HRNC” said Ramraj.
FSDA has still not approached other religious institutions. “If you make food for individuals other than your family, you come under this act.” said R Kathiravan, Designated Officer, FSDA Chennai.
However, Harpinder Singh, General Secretary at Chennai’s only Gurudwara, ‘Gurudwara Singh Sabha’ disagreed.
“The rice, pulses and flour are provided by a group of Sikh families in Chennai called the ‘Sangath’. They volunteer to cook as well. How can you regulate a family?” asked Singh.
Over 500 people visit the gurudwara for their daily free meal- the langar. The numbers triple on weekends. Volunteers usually serve food while reciting their prayer ‘Sat Nam, wahe guru’ on loop. Rotis are made near the hand wash area as men crouch in their lungis, wiping sweat beads off their face. Water is served from kettles that are dipped into a large barrel. Plates are washed by the worshippers themselves after their meal.
Despite the Director General of the FSDA insisting on biodegradable plates, steel ones were used and reused. Again, no gloves were in sight.
But according to Kathiravan, despite it being a community kitchen, food safety has a seminal role to play. “We are not telling them what to cook and how to cook. We are only asking them to follow certain hygienic practices.” Even if the institution caters food from outside, they need to ensure the shops have a valid food safety license.
The St. George’s Cathedral in Gopalapuram area outsources the cooking and packaging to private caterers. Jawahar H, the manager there said that no cooking is done in the premises. “Some other churches under CSI [Churches of South India] cook and serve food on special occasions. We do not cook as we are stationed next to the American Consulate.”
The church also serves wine and bread on Christmas. The Protestant churches in Chennai get their wine supplied from the Evangelical Literature Society (ELS) book store. The ELS in turn gets the wine from Marvello, a manufacturing unit in Ayanavaram that specifically supply to chapels.
However, Selvanidhi S, the manager of the store and a pastor at Apostle Christian Prayer Hall ensures he makes wine for his congregation with his own hands. “I believe it’s the work of Levites from ancient Jewish tradition to serve god. It’s quite simple actually. First take the grapes, boil it in water, remove the seeds and strain the mixture.” Selvanidhi also prefers to buy the bread from any local bakery. In other churches, the bread is baked by the nuns.
“We are not aware of any laws or food safety act. We contract the best caterers in Chennai who exclusively supply to Churches.” said Reverend Paul Francis, Chaplin at the CSI Diocese of Madas.
The traditional nombu kanji (Coarse grain gruel) that is prepared during Ramadan at the Jamia Masjid (Mogappair East) is made in a kitchen where walls are sprayed with ash and water according to Asif Mohammed Habib, a regular visitor and devotee. He however doesn’t believe that the usage of gloves is particularly necessary for food production.
“One can make rotis or atto (Burmese dish) only by using bare hands. The hygienic setup matters more than the procedure of making the food. That can’t be expected of the authorities all the time. Eventually, I hope things change,” he said.
Much like the Gurudwara in T Nagar, this mosque too has a community kitchen. People provide raw materials or write cheques as a display of their devotion. Chicken biriyani is prepared in a large cauldron and is distributed on Eid. Some mosques use contractors. Others cook. Inspections do not take place. Hence, cases of food poisoning often go unreported.
Chennai has only 25 food safety officers at the moment and they only regulate the big temples. The small temples still remain scot-free. “We have started with temples that are registered with HRNC.” said Kathiravan. The religious institutions are supposed to renew their licenses every year but Kathiravan says that this is not done. “The Central Government keeps giving extensions to the operators. Traders lose the interest in renewing their licenses after a point because they know they can get away.” However, Kathiravan claims that the renewal rates have made progress since August 2016 as no extensions have since been provided.
The FSS Act also mentions that packaging materials and labeling are necessary for all food products to prevent contamination, damage and should accommodate required prerequisites. However, most temples resort to faulty labeling. “They do not put down the six requirements such as veg/non-veg, manufacturing date, expiry date, content etc.” said Kathiravan.
With such issues plaguing the food industry, one can only hope that donations that are regularly contributed by devotees improve the standards of hygiene in religious institutions.
Box article:
The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 is to consolidate the laws relating to food and to establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import. According to Schedule 4 (part iii) of the Act, the establishment in which food is being handled, processed, manufactured, packed, stored, and distributed by the food business operator and the persons handling them should adhere to all the sanitary and hygienic requirements stipulated under the Act. There are 137 testing labs that sample the food that is eaten at temples. Food Safety Officers are required to examine the products served as prasad (religious offerings).
