In response to the rise in complaints over unhygienic conditions in restaurants and finding human waste in food in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has mandated that names and addresses of owners, operators and managers be displayed at all food establishments. The directive comes amid reports of unsanitary practices, including spitting and mixing urine in food came to light, recently.

During a meeting, the UP CM condemned the presence of human waste in food, stating that such actions are “disgusting” and demanded stringent penalties on those found guilty of selling adulterated food.

The surge of similar incidents has prompted the measures. A video surfaced in September, showing a teenager spitting on rotis at an eatery in Saharanpur, leading to the owner’s arrest. Additionally, a juice vendor in Ghaziabad was apprehended for allegedly serving urine-contaminated juice, while two individuals in Noida were arrested for selling juice tainted with their saliva.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath gives directions for the proper inspection of dhabas/restaurants, as well as Police verification of all employees. The names and addresses of the manager, proprietor will have to be mandatorily displayed at the food and beverage outlets. Be it the… pic.twitter.com/TEnfFjKtta

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2024

Following these complaints, the CM ordered an investigation and asked authorities to verify the allegations at dhabas and restaurants across the state. He stressed on the need for regulatory amendments to safeguard public health.

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Adityanath was quoted by PTI as saying: “Dhabas, restaurants and food establishments should be thoroughly investigated, and police verification of every employee must be conducted. Necessary amendments should also be made in the Food Safety and Standards Act to ensure the purity and sanctity of food items.”

The new regulations will require eateries to display names and addresses of operators and staff. “Chefs and waiters will be required to wear masks and gloves, and CCTV cameras must be installed in hotels and restaurants,” he added.

He also called for a statewide campaign to verify credentials of employees of all food establishments and urged prompt action by a collaborative team comprising Food Safety and Drug Administration, police, and local authorities. Earlier this year, the Uttar Pradesh government had directed food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra routes to display shop owners’, however, the Supreme Court had intervened to stay the order.

Minister of State for Ayush, Food Security, and Drug Administration, Dayashankar Mishra ‘Dayalu’, stated, “Orders have been issued for probing all shops, installing CCTV cameras, and requiring food employees to wear masks and gloves. There’s no point in hiding one’s identity.”

Opposition parties criticised the new regulations, while SP MLA Ravidas Mehrotra from Lucknow Central alleged that the move is to target vendors from Dalit, backward, and minority communities. He suggested that if the Chief Minister’s intentions were genuine, the UP government should open shops and dhabas that provide meals for Rs 10, like in some southern states.

UP Congress chief Ajay Rai argued that since the GSTIN number on shop nameplates already includes owner details, the government should focus on ensuring the quality of edible items is good by conducting test on restaurants across the state instead of imposing additional burden on vendors.