Food is one of the most basic necessities of our lives. It is extremely concerning how the food industry in our country has degraded rapidly in terms of health and hygiene. Just to earn a few extra pennies, these industrialists are willingly to risk the lives of crores and crores of people in one go. When the people are famished, especially the college students, they end up neglecting the deleterious effect the noxious food might have upon them.
The condition of the canteens in the University of Lucknow is extremely dismaying. There are more than five canteens in the Main Campus but not even a single canteen is clean enough to be serving food. I had once visited the Science Canteen with my friends and that was the first and the last time that I’ll ever enter a canteen in our university.
The canteen was in an exceedingly broken state. The dining area was dirty, the tables were unclean, the odour was not pleasant and the walls were not adequately maintained. I went up to the server and asked for a soft drink. He handed me the soft drink in a glass bottle with a steel cap which could only be opened by a bottle opener. The helper at the canteen opened the bottle for me. The bottle opener was so rusty that its residue was transferred on the glass bottle as well. After seeing this, I was so nauseated that I swore to never enter any canteen ever again.
The servers were not wearing gloves and a hair net while handing out food. The chef was also preparing the food with his bare hands, completely disregarding the safety measures of a chef’s hat and gloves. The kitchen was filthy and grubby. It is immensely dispiriting how cleanliness is overlooked.
Unhygienic food contains harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins. The individuals who cook or serve the food without practicing proper hygiene can majorly contaminate the food. The utensils used in cooking should be washed thoroughly and should be clean and tidy to avoid cross-contamination.
Unhygienic food leads to various health issues and the most common and immediate impacts of consuming unhygienic food is the foodborne illness, food poisoning. The contaminated food often contains viruses and parasites such as norovirus, hepatitis and can lead to diseases like liver infection and diarrhea.
The authorities should take this into consideration as this is a matter of grave concern and distress. The canteen runners should be kept in check by regular inspections of the canteens. Serious actions must be taken against those who are running the canteens with no regard towards health, hygiene and cleanliness. This behaviour is certainly not expected from such a prestigious university. It’s high time now that we should direct our attention to this predicament and vow to not risk the health and the lives of the youth of our nation.