BENGALURU: With bird flu breaking out in Bidar, people in Bengaluru have become cautious about eating chicken.
Despite the authorities announcing it is safe to consume poultry products, many in Bengaluru are saying, ‘No, thank you.’
During the 2012 outbreak, chicken sales had collapsed. Business looked up only after the authorities declared the region completely free of bird flu.
Sree Harsha, an engineer, said, “I got to know about bird flu through the media and I am therefore avoiding all meat for now.” “We are aware of the outbreak of bird flu. We have, therefore, stopped eating at places serving non-vegetarian food,” said Dinesh Ranka.
Vasudev Rao, manager at Infinitea, a cafe on Cunningham Road, said they are taking adequate precautionary measures. “We are taking measures to test the quality of meat before using it. We are also buying meat from reliable sources. Plus our staff members also conduct regular hygiene checks, ” he said.
At Cafe Coffee Day, the manager said, “We have a food and beverages department that examines and approves all products before they reach our outlets. Our staff also conduct daily checks.”
Not all meat lovers, however, will let the flu stop them from eating what they like.
“We just avoid places that might use unhealthy meat. In fact, we prefer to cook it ourselves,” said Mevin, who had lined up at a fast food outlet for a snack.