THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major move aimed at doing away with low-quality packaging materials and curbing single-use plastic, the hotel and restaurant industry in the state has decided to give a 5 to 10 per cent discount for customers who bring their own utensils for getting parcels from Sunday.
The decision comes in the wake of investigations conducted by the Commissionerate of Food Safety Kerala which found that the packaging materials used for takeaway foods are not food grade and could cause severe health issues.
According to officials, the residual toxic compounds are likely to be transferred to food through cheap plastic that is not food-grade. The food safety authorities are planning to enforce the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations 2018 in the state to enhance food security in the state.
As per the regulation, every food business operator shall ensure that the packaging materials used shall be in accordance with either Indian Standards or International Standards. There are around 60,000 hotels and restaurants under the Kerala Hotel and Restaurants Association (KHRA).
Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) president G Jayapal told TNIE that restaurants and hotels have decided to give 5 to 10 per cent discount on the bill if the customer brings utensils for takeaway food or parcels.
“The inspections by food safety authorities found that the quality of packaging materials used by hoteliers is not food grade. Food-grade packaging material is very expensive. Hence we have decided to promote eco-friendly ways and offer a discount to encourage customers to bring utensils from home to get parcels,” said Jayapal.
The Commissionerate has also directed food business operators to come up with durable containers that can be reused in the immediate future.
“The plan is to provide utensils by collecting a nominal fee from the customer and the amount will be refunded when they return the containers which will be accepted by any restaurants across the state. The local bodies can chip in and promote such initiatives by funding. We are also planning to use our IEC funds if the containers don our messages,” said Commissioner V R Vinod, food safety department. He said that the commissionerate has asked KHRA to come up with four or five types of durable and reusable containers.
KHRA is planning to come up with a unified design for these durable containers. “The food safety department has promised to support us financially for this initiative. The customer can return the containers in any restaurant across the state and get the refund,” Jayapal added.
The food safety authorities have decided to collect samples of packaging materials on a regular basis. “We will continue to collect samples and enforce the packaging rules. Food business operators and wholesale dealers should have the food-grade certification of the packaging materials they sell and use,” said V R Vinod. He said that the initiative would help achieve zero-garbage status for the state.
“The use of packaging materials contributes to waste generation on a considerable scale and now the state has launched the ‘Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam’ campaign to make Kerala a zero-garbage state,” he added.