Shops selling pani puri have come under the scanner of the Food Safety Department. On Tuesday, as officials raided the shops and carts across the city, one glaring observation at most of them was the lack of hygiene.
A team led by P. Satheesh Kumar, Designated Officer, Food Safety Department, Chennai, conducted the raids at 58 shops and push carts, including 10 on Marina beach. The raids came after Karnataka’s Food Safety Department found carcinogenic chemicals in many pani puri samples that were lifted.
“We decided to inspect shops selling pani puri across the city. Our aim is to cover at least 700 in the next two to three days. There are more than 1,500 carts that sell the dish in the city,” Dr. Satheesh Kumar said. These carts obtain the ₹100 registrations under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Sent for testing
The team has lifted samples including of the masala and sauce from several outlets and has sent them for testing, he said, adding that “unhygienic” practices including in food handling were one of the main observations during the raids.
“People should look out for hygiene practices. The vendor should wear gloves and should not break the puri with his/her bare hands. Separate ladles should be used for pouring the sauce. We saw vendors dipping their hands into the container having the sauce. Separate spoon should be used for the masala. Disposable plates should be used for serving the pani puri,” he added.
The department has started enumeration of shops selling pani puri in the city. “After biriyani, pani puri is the most popular food, and so, we are going to concentrate on this. We are also going to have training sessions for the vendors. We will call them in area and ward-wise batches,” he said.
