"CHEAP" EATERIES FOR LOW COST FOODS-THE CHENNAI INITIATIVE

The most difficult process of selecting an eatery, when a family goes for an outing for food, is the quality of food served though cleanliness and safety also are factors that do weigh in the minds of customers. Recent trend in India is for the catering joints to raise the prices of items served, indiscriminately for no rhyme or reason, though the food inflation has dipped into the negative zone. Even a small restaurant is charging its customers exorbitantly making it difficult for low income families to eat outside their home more frequently. Pressure of work, inadequate leisure time and other compulsions make outside eating inevitable whether one likes it or not. Under such a difficult situation there is an urgent need for making the cateing sector realize the folly of continuing with such a suicidal course of "killing the Goose that lays golden egg". To some extent the street vendors are providing relief to such harassed citizens by serving foods at reasonable price though their preparation and serving environment cannot be called satisfactory.

In spite of lot of talk and after hundreds of conferences on street foods, nothing precious has happened to modernize the street vending sector and most vendors in almost all cities and towns across the country continue in despicable state. Surprisingly their clientele is only growing by leaps and bounds and they include even well heeled people who just cannot resist the hot steaming food and many tasty preparations doled out by them. In countries like Malaysia, Pakistan etc there are food plazas in strategic places where the erstwhile street vendors are aggregated into a single place, easy and convenient for the customers. These plazas are adequately equipped with the necessary wherewithal to maintain good hygiene and sanitation besides other facilities so necessary to prevent food related episodes of serious nature occuring. This trend is yet to appear in India and the haphazard  street vending food industry continues to languish with potential danger to the health of millions of regular customers.

The Food Truck movement in the US is an offshoot of the "arrogance" and "insensitivity" of the established catering industry which never bothered to provide customized service expected from them besides increasing the price of their offerings to unreasonable levels unacceptable to many customers. To day the Food Truck business is posing a direct challenge to the established players in many cities across the US. It is time Indian catering sector sees the writing on the wall and address the concerns of its patrons who provide "bread and butter" for its survival! It is entirely possible that in India also a Food Truck movement may start eventually to give a better and more affordable alternative to the much harassed Indian customers. 

Maximum exploitation of citizens and their vulnerability takes place in religious and pilgrim centers where the customers are "fleeced" till they bleed with no succour coming from the local civic authorities and food being an essential item for survival the visitors are literally "extorted" to pay whatever is demanded for keeping their body and soul together! Same is true in bus stations and Railway platforms across the country where it is "free for all" situation with the monopoly caterer selling cheap imitations of popular brands and sub-standard foods at exorbitant prices. It is time that the state governments and civic authorities across the country wake up and take effective measures to prevent such out right "thuggery" in front of their eyes allowing the perpetrators  to go Scot-free. Such negligence can only make the lives of the citizens more and more miserable, especially when they step out of their home.

Recent announcement by the civic authorities in Chennai that they would provide relief to thousands of visitors to the city through a program of setting up low cost food out lets that would serve good foods at reasonable price is indeed welcome. According to the Municipal Authorities there, the concept of 'Kai yendhi bhavan' or roadside eateries would be translated into reality by setting up around 1,000 eateries across the city which would hopefully provide quality, hygienic food to the city's floating population of 10 lakh every day. The targeted beneficiaries include daily wage laborers, auto rickshaw drivers, unorganized workers, and school and college children who can expect to get breakfast and lunch items every day. To start with the Corporation expects to set up 200 such eateries on a trial basis immediately. Those already running roadside eateries can be expected to get preference though they would be wage earners without proprietorship of the out lets.  If the proposal materializes many self-help group members with reputation can be expected to be roped in to prepare food and transport it to the eateries. According to the proposal mooted, the food is to be prepared at the four existing community kitchens of the Corporation from where it is supplied to relief centers during the monsoons. The commodities would be procured from the government owned Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation at right prices. Of course there could be a slip between the "cup and the lips", if the state government does not accord permission to the Corporation's initiative. 

A natural question that arises in this context is whether any government agency is really equipped with the wherewithal of running a business successfully and if the past experience is any indication the success of the new program may be somewhat tenuous. But skepticism is not justified when people fired with enthusiasm, even in the government, are driven by such noble intentions and the program must be given a decent trial before expanding the same further. If the bureaucratic mind set and usual red tapism associated with government endeavors yield to dynamism, hard work, dedication and mission mentality, there is no way this experiment can fail. If successful, such efforts must be replicated in all states with continuous improvements being incorporated into the Chennai model based on the experience gained.  

Update 19/6/2012
Here is a comment from Chennai on the above publication:

Dear Sir:

I recently came across your blog and in it the article about the 1000 cheap eateries that the Chennai Corporation has planned to set up.

In this context I wanted to introduce to you our own project in Chennai that has successfully set up a back end facility for producing 30000 meals and at the front end, over 50 road side eateries that sell our food. There is no onsite cooking. The women who operate these kiosks earn between Rs 200 and Rs 300 per day, depending on their business volume. We are non profit aiming to empower women and at the same time offer some food security to the community through affordable, hygienic food.

Please find more information about our work at www.ecokitchen.org. If you happen to be in Chennai we would be glad to show you our project.

Sincerely, Ganesh



V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLE BUT IT CAN BE SOUR!

Repacking and re-bottling are some times practiced for salvaging processed foods and beverages which are still quality conformed and safe for consumption. In the case of alcoholic beverages, greater the storage period better will be the quality of the product, often referred to as maturation. Same is true with wines also as maturation mellows the product removing the harsh note that is native to freshly made wines. But the expression 'old wine in new bottle' some how conveys a negative message implying that there is nothing new in what is being projected as original.

Here are some samples:

" along with growth in food industry, there is also need to meet safety standards---. that standard could be met only by improving harvesting and post harvesting technology. Cluster farming, no tax, exception from export duty and amendment to APMC act are some of issues---. 70% of population is involved in agricultural activities; it is only 4% in United States and 7% in European countries. ---they need to channelize it by adopting harvesting and post harvesting technology and value addition technique compulsorily." The IFCON inaugural address of the Minister of State for Food Processing Industry, GOI on Dec 16, 2008 at Mysore

Sounds familiar? Of course same words were heard since sixties and Dr H A B Parpia, the living symbol of food technology in India to day has been uttering these sentiments for almost 3 decades leading to the eventual setting up of the MFPI in late eighties! Even after two decades of existence of MFPI, nothing seems to have changed as reflected by the speech of the minister who heads the ministry, as quoted above.

" of late people are very choosy in selecting food and health conscious too. Indian traditional food has qualities that could keep diseases at bay. There was lot of scope for young food scientists to undertake a detailed research in this regard as it may benefit crores of people across the world. ---Value addition of fruits is only 7% in India and they need to take it to 20%. CFTRI was the first to come out with sugar cane beverages which could be sold across the table. People hesitate to drink sugar cane juice on road side but if the same juice is packed in bottles hygienically it may be consumed by every body." Special speech at IFCON 2008 by head of the food research institute at Mysore.

Sounds familiar? Of course, the subject of traditional foods has been thrashed in more than 20 seminars since 1985 with practically all aspects covered but no concrete action was forth coming to achieve results. Is it not a paradox to discover that same story is repeated to day with no hope of any action in the future also? Probably this will be repeated in the next IFCON also and promptly forgotten. What defies logic is that with more than 500 food scientists working under him in the premier food R & D agency since 1994 why nothing has been done there so far, in stead of coining new words like DDF for the very same traditional foods and the platitudes expressed in such public forums. As for sugar cane juice the product was available in many countries such as Singapore in tetra packs since nineties.

" Street foods will be safer to consume at Rama Vilas Road, Mysore, popularly known as Chaat Street after the vendor training program initiated as a part of IFCON 2008. The 'training" of one week duration has enabled the street vendors to prepare foods under hygienic condition and keep the environment clean to avoid infection and consequent diseases. The street will don a new look and script a new chapter in street food business. You will find them wearing aprons, caps and gloves. A model project taken up by the IFCON sponsors has educated food vendors of this road on these key issues. About 20 street vendors attended the 'workshop'. A test will be held and certificates will be issued to the participants" Report in print media under the title " Healthy stuff, environs await you on Chaat Street" reproducing the press release of IFCON sponsors.

Sounds familiar? Of course who has not heard of the pioneering efforts of Prof Indira Chakravorty of All India Institute of Public Health and Hygiene, Kolkatta, in modernizing street food sector in early nineties bringing her international laurels? Her subsequent mission to involve Kolkatta city authorities and the police force does not seem to have resulted in any dramatic changes in the city vis-a-vis street vendors. If this project was taken up as an all India mission on a long term duration by AFST instead of going through it as a one time attempt, the efforts would have been worth while.

It is time we replace the old 'wine' in the new bottle with fresh one so that it does not go sour! In the interest of the country let us be serious and not allow the youngsters to acquire the habit of recycling ideas in stead of striving for innovation, dedication and commitment. God bless India.



V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/