Unappetising Idea Of Policing Food Portions In India

Bernama’s correspondent Shakir Husain shares his side of the story from New Delhi. NEW DELHI, April 17 (Bernama) -- There has been some curious discussion in India whether the government should regulate restaurant food portions. The argument is: Why waste food when so many people in the country do not get enough to eat? The intention is praiseworthy but the idea makes little sense in India's unique conditions. Not surprisingly, ridicule poured in when the news came out that the government might pass a law to restrict the quantity of food items in restaurants and hotels. An impression was created that restaurants in the country served large portions. This is erroneous. First of all, anyone suggesting that restaurants in India serve big food portions hasn't really seen generous servings in other countries. In the Arabian Gulf region, for example, people with big appetites would rarely complain about the size of food portions served in restaurants. Arabian restaurants are mostly generous. Good hospitality is both parts of the culture and considered a solid business practice. Restaurants owned by nationals as well as expatriates effortlessly become part of this generous culture in places such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Mind you, these are food importing countries and yet there is such a richness in their food consumption. And it's not about money. Malaysia and Turkey can be cited as good examples of generosity in hospitality. Unlike the Arabian Gulf states, both Malaysia and Turkey also grow a great variety of local fruits and vegetables that enrich their cuisines. India, too, is a major producer and exporter of agricultural items, and its variety of products and cuisine is diverse. India's food flavours from various regions can become widely popular, but there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm about their promotion. People not only notice a depressing poverty in terms of food portions, the quality standards are also generally lacking. India should really be thinking of ways to develop the variety of Indian cuisine and make it accessible to both tourists and local people. There are definitely serious problems in managing the food supply chain and in developing quality standards in the restaurant industry. Instead, people indulge in unnecessary conflicts and violence over food choices. A section of society feels so aggrieved over other people eating meat that they have formed vigilante groups to impose vegetarianism. For a food exporting country, it should be a matter of shame to have a high rate of malnutrition. A global survey found that 230 million people were malnourished in India and 44 per cent of children under five years of age were underweight. It's worth looking at the big picture of India's food production, domestic supplies and export policies. Some egregious distortions are rarely talked about in the press and television debates. Here is an example: India exports beef (buffalo meat) to 65 countries but these export-focused companies and their processing plants don't supply to Indian supermarkets. If affluent countries with high food standards find Indian meat good enough why not make it available to local hotels and restaurants? Let the local restaurants make Mughlai dishes, bulky burgers and big sandwiches out of this meat. Also, let there be more supply of agricultural produce at cheaper prices in restaurants so that food portions can get bigger. If there are indeed instances of food wastage (some allege this happens at high-end hotels and restaurants), then it's a problem of bad preparation and a stingy culture of not giving customers value for money, and has nothing to do with people's lack of healthy appetites. --BERNAMA