At his dhaba in south Delhi's Kidwai Nagar, Irfan has his cooks wash their hands before preparing dishes. Sweets are kept covered , he claims. As with most small eateries, Irfan's dhaba is not registered.
Soon, outlets such as Irfan's may have to start complying with more stringent standards, with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) working on new norms on hygiene and cleanliness at food outlets across the country.
All food outlets, from small dhabas to five-star hotels , will be graded according to their level of food hygiene and cleanliness.
CLEAN DINING
Food standards authority working on new norms for hygiene at food outlets. These will apply to all eateries, from dhabas to fine dining places. Each eatery will be graded according to level of hygiene. Outlets in same chain could end up with different ratings.
Dhabas can get level-1 rating on meeting standards
This will mean that a dhaba in your neighbourhood could be rated as level-1 , if cooking practices measure up to the minimum standards laid down by the authority, while a fine dining restaurant may end up getting the top billing. It is also possible for restaurants belonging to the same chain to get different ratings.