Wedding gatherings are often meant to be a happy space for meeting and celebrating life with friends and family. Such occasions also offer a wide range of delicacies to enjoy, often referred to as ‘Shaadi ka khana’. But what if the same food becomes a cause for illness for hundreds? In an unfortunate incident, more than 400 people fell ill in a suspected case of food poisoning after attending a wedding in Gujarat’s Dahod district, prompting authorities to launch an urgent investigation and place health teams on alert. Scroll down to read the details.According to a TOI city report, the incident was reported from Abhlod village, where a large number of guests had gathered for the wedding ceremony. Shortly after consuming food at the event, many attendees began complaining of vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, and dizziness. It is also reported that food samples from the wedding have been collected and sent for laboratory analysis. Authorities are also examining the hygiene standards followed during the preparation and serving of food at the event.
FSSAI’s food catering guidelines
According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) food safety management system for the catering sector, these rules are prepared with the intent to provide implementation guidance to food businesses (especially small and medium businesses) involved in manufacturing, packing, storage and transportation of food in the catering sector, to ensure that critical food safety-related aspects are addressed throughout the supply chain. It also contains practical approaches that a business should adopt to ensure food safety.As per the guidelines, wedding catering comes under the ‘other’ sector and based on premise, wedding catering is categorized as On-premise catering, which includes catering for any function, banquet, reception, or event held in the physical premises of the establishment or facility where the function is organized. Take a look tat the basic catering guidelines that are often missing at such gatherings. Equipment & Containers: These shall be made of materials that are durable, non-corrosive, and smooth, with no toxic effect in intended use. Also, they shall permit necessary maintenance, be smooth, free from cracks and crevices, allow for cleaning and disinfection as per their intended use and facilitate good hygiene practices inside the premises including monitoring and audit.Food Control and Monitoring Equipment: Equipment used to cook, heat treat, cool, store, freeze or serve food shall be designed to achieve the required food temperatures as rapidly as necessary to meet food safety requirements and maintain them effectively. Such equipment shall also be designed to allow temperatures to be monitored and controlled. Where necessary, such equipment should have effective means of controlling and monitoring humidity, air-flow and any other characteristic factor likely to have a detrimental effect on the safety or suitability of food.Facilities/Utilities: Water for drinking, food preparation, dishwashing, cleaning equipment and surfaces directly/indirectly in contact with food, preparation of ice and steam should be of potable quality. There should be an adequate supply, and hot and cold running water should be available in the food preparation area. In the absence of tap water, water should be stored in clean non-corrosive containers with a tap. Water from potable sources only should be used. When a storage tank is shared by several food establishments (such as in a mall), the food establishment should be able to show documented evidence that the water tank is cleaned as required.Cleaning: There shall be a separate designated place for washing raw fruits and vegetables, and washing utensils and equipment to prevent food contamination. There should be an adequate supply of hot and cold water for washing utensils and equipment. Adequate storage facilities should be provided as necessary, away from food handling areas to store brooms, mops, pails, and cleaning compounds when not in use. Toilets should not be used for storing cleaning materials or equipment.Pre-Preparation: The pre-preparation area must be clean, well-lit, and well-ventilated. Pre-preparation must be well segregated into dry and wet zones. Pre-preparation must be well segregated into dry and wet zones. All contact surfaces in pre-preparation must be pre sanitized. Vegetarian cutting boards must be sanitized with 50 ppm chlorine, and non-vegetarian cutting boards with 100 ppm chlorine, with a minimum contact time of 2- 3 hours. High-risk foods like meat, fish and poultry shall be handled in an exclusive butchery under air-conditioned temperature. High-risk perishable vegetarian and dairy products shall be handled at air-conditioned temperatures.Preparation: The preparation area should be clean and ventilated. If any cooking/frying is to be done, proper outlets for smoke/steam, such as a chimney or exhaust fan, shall be provided. Since harmful contaminants can’t be seen, smelled or tasted, it’s important that you cook your food to a safe internal cooking temperature to avoid food poisoning.Food Display and Service: Food shall be portioned in safe and hygienic conditions. The area utilized for food portioning shall be clean. b) The equipment being used for portioning such as spoons, ladles, knives, chopping boards, etc. shall be clean and sanitized. Use separate equipment and cutlery for each food product being portioned.
