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By:

Amol Deshmukh and Vaibhav Mathkari

5 March 2025 at 11:13:08 pm

Can Maharashtra’s Food Industry Take Civic Responsibility?

The food industry can turn everyday business practices into everyday civic action. AI generated image We all love eating out. Maharashtra’s food culture is inseparable from its identity. From a small vada pav stall to a five-star hotel, and from a family restaurant to a large wedding caterer, food businesses are part of everyday life. What responsibility does a food business have towards the citizen? Is serving tasty food enough? Or should restaurants also minimise food and plastic waste,...

Can Maharashtra’s Food Industry Take Civic Responsibility?

The food industry can turn everyday business practices into everyday civic action. AI generated image We all love eating out. Maharashtra’s food culture is inseparable from its identity. From a small vada pav stall to a five-star hotel, and from a family restaurant to a large wedding caterer, food businesses are part of everyday life. What responsibility does a food business have towards the citizen? Is serving tasty food enough? Or should restaurants also minimise food and plastic waste, maintain clean kitchens, use safe ingredients, manage waste responsibly and avoid traffic problems outside their premises? Several countries are already asking these questions. Japan has made reducing food loss a national priority, bringing businesses, government agencies and citizens together to prevent usable food from becoming waste. France has taken steps to reduce single-use plastics, including plastic drinking-water bottles in collective catering. Singapore requires large commercial premises to segregate and manage food waste. The European Union is also working to reduce unnecessary single-use plastics and promote circular packaging. Maharashtra need not copy them. But they offer one lesson: civic responsibility cannot rest with the government alone. The food industry has a major role to play. What if Maharashtra took up an 11-point challenge? Imagine major hotels, restaurants, caterers and food establishments voluntarily adopting a civic charter. First, reduce food waste. Large kitchens should track daily waste and aim to cut it by 25 per cent and then 50 per cent. Food safe for consumption should, wherever possible and legally appropriate, be redirected for human consumption. The rest should go for composting, biogas or other scientific treatment. Second, reduce unnecessary plastic water bottles. If safe drinking water is available, why automatically give every customer a plastic bottle? Maharashtra can develop a model using glass, steel and refill systems. Third, rethink packaging. Food delivery has created mountains of packaging. Do we really need all this plastic? Reusable, recyclable and genuinely sustainable alternatives should be preferred. Fourth, end open dumping of food waste. Restaurants should not send organic waste to roadside dumping points. Segregation and treatment should be part of commercial food-waste management. Fifth, make healthy choices available. Menus should include lower-salt, lower-sugar and nutritionally balanced options. This is about choice, not telling people what to eat. Sixth, use cooking oil responsibly. Restaurants should record its use and replacement and ensure used oil goes through authorised channels. Food safety and environmental responsibility should go together. Seventh, make kitchen hygiene a culture, not a certificate. The World Health Organization’s principles are simple: keep clean; separate raw and cooked food; cook properly; maintain safe temperatures; and use safe water and raw materials. The challenge is making them daily habits. Eighth, give consumers a voice. A QR code could allow customers to report serious food-safety concerns through a system that records and follows up complaints. Ninth, use technology intelligently. Artificial intelligence, sensors and digital systems can monitor temperature, hygiene schedules, waste segregation and other safety parameters. Tenth, think beyond the kitchen. If customers block footpaths, roads or emergency entrances, restaurants should help manage the situation. A successful restaurant should not become a problem for its neighbourhood. Finally, the Safe Food Oath. Can Maharashtra’s food industry voluntarily pledge that no known unsafe substance will knowingly be used in food? The proposed oath could state: “We pledge that we shall not knowingly use any carcinogenic, teratogenic, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic or allergenic substance as a colouring agent, flavour or taste enhancer, adulterant, sweetener, or preservative or for any other food-processing purpose. We shall use only legally permitted and scientifically evaluated ingredients and additives and maintain transparency and accountability in the preparation and serving of food.” This is not a call to ban every chemical or synthetic food additive. Many are legally permitted after safety evaluation. The point is simple: unsafe substances should never be shortcuts for making food cheaper, brighter, sweeter or more attractive. Civic Food Industry Award Maharashtra could take the idea further by inviting the food and hospitality industry to adopt an 11-point Civic Food Industry Charter. Those meeting the standards could be independently assessed and recognised through a Maharashtra Civic Food Industry Award. The award would ask not only, “How good is your food?” But also, how much food did you save? How much plastic did you eliminate? How safely do you manage your kitchen? What happens to your food waste? Are your ingredients safe? Do you respect the neighbourhood? That would give “hospitality” a deeper meaning. Maharashtra has the institutions, entrepreneurs, technology and, most importantly, a food industry large enough to make a difference. The government can make regulations. Citizens can demand better standards. But the food industry can lead by choice. So the question before Maharashtra’s hotels, restaurants, caterers and food businesses is simple: Are you ready to accept the challenge — not just to serve citizens, but to take responsibility for them? (Deshmukh is a forensics scientist. Mathkari is co-founder, Civic Engineering Foundation.)

All Is Well: When Faith Met the Fury of Nature

Life can change in a moment, and survival itself is a blessing. With courage, calm thinking, faith, and togetherness, even the impossible becomes possible.

In this article, we continue our journey to the Valley of Flowers. The last two articles captured some unforgettable, life-altering moments of our tour. Realising how narrowly we had escaped the tragedy at Malpa left us humbled and deeply emotional; fate had truly spared us. With no immediate road access and no means to contact our families, we had to stay in Badrinath for a few days until conditions improved. Those days were spent in silence, prayer, and reflection, absorbing the fragility of life and the miracle of survival.


That journey taught me that life can change in a moment, and survival itself is a blessing. Courage, calm thinking, faith, and togetherness can turn the impossible into possible.


That journey taught me something profound—life can change in a moment, and survival itself is a blessing. Courage, calm thinking, faith, and togetherness can make the impossible possible. Looking back, the trek was not just a physical journey through mountains but a profound lesson in resilience, gratitude, and the fragile beauty of life.


We remained in Badrinath for eight days, unable to leave until the roads were declared safe. Though technically stranded, those days became a blessing in disguise. Once the BSF and local authorities cleared travel, we prepared to return but first made the most of our time by exploring every accessible corner around Badrinath and the surrounding region.


I spent countless peaceful hours with my mother and father at Badrinath Temple. Sitting there quietly, observing the rituals, the devotees, and the powerful stillness of the place, I felt a deep sense of protection. In my heart, a strong belief took root—that there truly is a higher power watching over us, guiding and protecting us in unseen ways. From that moment on, my faith in God grew stronger and more grounded.


One of the most fascinating places we explored during that time was Mana village, the last village near the Indo-Tibetan border. From Mana, we walked carefully along a narrow path to witness the origin of the Saraswati River. The journey was slow and cautious, but every step felt worthwhile.


When we reached the point where the river burst from the rocks, I was overwhelmed. The force was immense, and the roar so thunderous that we couldn’t hear one another speak. Watching the Saraswati emerge so powerfully from solid rock felt unreal, as if nature were revealing one of its deepest secrets.


Mana Village in Uttarakhand is India's "first village" near the Indo-Tibetan border, just 3 km from Badrinath, known for its stunning Himalayan scenery and mythological sites like Bhim Pul and Vyasa Gufa. Vasundhara Falls was also worth visiting!


That experience—witnessing the birth of a hidden river, surrounded by mountains, silence, and faith—left a lasting impression on me. It was yet another reminder of how nature and spirituality intertwine, offering lessons that stay with us long after the journey ends.


The return journey from Badrinath was emotionally heavy. As we passed through Malpa village, it was heartbreaking to witness the complete devastation left behind by the landslide. Just a short while earlier, this place had been alive—a village where people were engaged in their daily routines, where travellers and tourists had paused to rest. Within minutes, everything had been wiped out.


Among those lost was the great Odissi dancer Protima Bedi, along with members of her group. The thought that such a remarkable artist, full of life and creativity, was taken away so suddenly in a natural calamity was deeply disturbing. Seeing the ruined landscape made the tragedy painfully real. Silence hung in the air, heavy with loss and disbelief.


That journey—to the Valley of Flowers, Badrinath Temple, and across the rugged terrain of Uttarakhand—was truly life-changing. It taught us humility, resilience, faith, and gratitude. Even today, I thank God for giving us the strength to face such extreme situations and for protecting us through moments of uncertainty.


I firmly believe that the shared faith of our group, especially my parents’ unwavering faith, played a vital role in bringing us safely back to our hometown, Jalgaon. We trusted God, and we trusted ourselves and one another.


Nature is immensely powerful, and everything ultimately lies in its hands. Yet, when we hold on to faith—both in the divine and within ourselves—we find the strength to endure even the hardest moments. That is why, no matter what life brings, I truly believe in this simple, powerful mantra:


All is well!


(The writer is a tourism professional and runs a company, Global Voyages. She could be contacted at goglobalvoyages@gmail.com. Views personal.)

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