Ooty: Using newspapers to squeeze oil out of ‘bajjis’ and ‘vadas’ in eateries is all set to come to an end in the Nilgiris as the district administration has not only banned the use of newspapers to wrap food, but also decided to act tough against the defaulters.
Stating this Ms. J. Innocent Divya, collector of Nilgiris, said that the Centre has already banned the use of newspapers to pack or wrap food and food materials and added that the ban comes into effect immediately in the Nilgiris. Wrapping food in newspapers is an unhealthy practice and the consumption of such food is harmful to health, even if the food has been cooked hygienically, she said.
The ink in the newspapers has multiple bio-active materials in it and enters the food chain when a person happens to eat food/snacks wrapped in newspapers. Saying that it is equivalent to slow poisoning the immune system, she said that inks being used for print may contain harmful colours, pigments, binders, additives, and preservatives. Moreover, chemical contaminants and the presence of pathogenic micro organisms in used newspapers also pose potential risks to human health, she noted.
Noting that paper/cardboard boxes are made of recycled paper and may be contaminated with harmful chemicals like phthalate which can cause digestive problems and also lead to severe toxicity and cancer, she appealed to people to avoid eating foods packed/wrapped in newspapers.
She added that people can contact 9444042322 or 0423-2450088 to lodge complaints about vendors defying this ban and using newspapers to wrap food.
