Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand: Indian states’ plans to punish spitting in food spark controversy

The Indian Express newspaper criticized the ordinances proposed by the state of Uttar Pradesh, saying they “act as a social (sectarian) dog whistle that preys on the majority’s views on cleanliness and pollution while targeting an already insecure minority.”

Food and eating habits are sensitive topics in culturally diverse India because they are deeply intertwined with religion and the country’s hierarchical caste system. Food norms and taboos sometimes lead to clashes between communities, creating a sense of distrust. As a result, the concept of “food safety” has also become entangled with religion, which is sometimes used to assign a motive to alleged contamination incidents.

Food safety is also a major issue in India, with the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) estimating that unsafe food causes approximately 600 million infections and 400,000 deaths per year, external.

Experts cite various reasons for poor food safety in India, including poor enforcement of food safety laws and lack of awareness. Tight kitchens, dirty dishes, contaminated water, and poor transportation and storage practices further threaten food safety.

So when videos of vendors spitting into food surfaced, people were shocked and outraged. Soon after, Uttarakhand announced that heavy fines would be imposed on criminals, made it mandatory for police to check hotel staff and install CCTV cameras in kitchens.

In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath he said to stop such incidents, externalthe police should check every employee. The state also plans to impose an obligation on catering centers to put the names of owners, chefs and waiters on masks and gloves, and to install monitoring in hotels and restaurants.

According to reports, Adityanath is planning to introduce two ordinances that will penalize spitting in food with a penalty of imprisonment of up to 10 years, external.