Govt panel to control food wastage at social functions

The meeting,chaired by Thomas,was attended by NAC member N C Saxena,former governor of Sikkim Sudarshan Agarwal,MP Rajiv Shukla,and top officers of the departments of Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution.

The meeting took many officers by surprise given the fact that the ministry is bracing up for a challenge to procure additional 260 lakh tonnes of wheat from the all time record harvest estimated this year. Officials of the Food Corporation of India confided that about 60 lakh tonnes of wheat is still lying under plastic sheets across the country.

Notwithstanding the record wheat harvest (84.27 million tonnes),Thomas said the meeting discussed the guest control order put in place in parts of country during the 1960s when the country had to look for food aid to meet its domestic demand. Referring to the Assam Guest Control Order of 1966,Thomas said Agarwal suggested legislative measures to control food wastage. The said order had put a cap of 25 persons for ordinary parties and 100 persons for marriages or funerals to avoid food wastage during social functions in those days.

Sources said the officials registered their apprehensions regarding legislative route to curb food consumption at social functions. Saxena suggested capping the number of dishes that can be served. “Saxena suggested we should start an awareness campaign and consider adopting Pakistani model where only one item is allowed on the menu of social functions,” Thomas said.

Thomas said control on wastage should begin at the government level.

He,however,said that no final decision was taken regarding taking a legislative route and a final decision will be taken only after national consultation.