Kerala bans egg-based mayonnaise; food packets to have ‘mfg, best before’ dates

In the statewide crackdown on foot outlets last week, more than 800 hotels were raided, of which 60 were permanently shut down while 120 were heavily penalised

In the wake of several food poisoning cases, the Kerala government on Thursday banned egg-based mayonnaise in all hotels and eating joints while announcing a series of quality control and hygiene measures, state health minister Veena George said.

Mayonnaise. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The minister said that it mandatory to carry production date and best before stickers on all food packets, while a hygiene rating app will be introduced soon. She spoke to representatives of the hotel, bakery and caterers’ associations before making the announcements.

Health cards will also be mandatory for all employees working in hotels, she said adding that food safety officials will carry out regular checks on eating joints. A task force has also been constituted for regular monitoring of food joints and take up complaints on priority.

Two weeks ago, a female nurse at the Kottayam medical college and hospital died after reportedly consuming ‘al fahm’, an Arabic food. Later, her post-mortem report confirmed food poisoning. At least two dozen food poisoning cases were then reported across different parts of the state, leading to shocking details following raids at several hotels and restaurants.

In some of the recent food poisoning cases, mayonnaise was suspected to be the common reason. Mayonnaise consists of egg yolk as an ingredient, and is served along with dishes such as burgers, sandwiches, French fries and Arab cuisines. Food experts said usually uncooked egg white are used in its preparation, and once it turns stale it becomes toxic because of harmful bacteria that affects the gut system. Besides this, salmonella bacteria can be found in uncooked eggs, they said.

Hotels owners also agreed to use vegetable oil-based mayonnaise and informed the minister that they will keep a strict tab on hygiene and quality. “We have decided not to use egg-based mayonnaise and switch over to vegetable mayonnaise. We are committed to serve quality food,” said an office-bearer of the Bakers Association of Kerala.

George stressed that licence and permit will hereon be mandatory for all food outlets, and dhabas (temporary outlets) can function only with permission from local bodies.

“We have constituted a task force which will examine hotels regularly. Similarly, food safety authority licence will be a must for all caterers. The quality of water will also be checked,” she said.

In the statewide crackdown on foot outlets last week, more than 800 hotels were raided, of which 60 were permanently shut down while 120 were heavily penalised.