From

         Earth & Health Care Council (EHCC)

To

       1. The Secretary to Govt. of India,  Department of Health & Family Welfare,             

            201D, Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi-110001.

        2. The Director, Directorate General of Health Services,

             205D, Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi-110001.         

         3. The Principal Secretary,  Department of Health & Family Welfare,

              Government of Tamil Nadu, 4th Floor,  Fort St. George, Chennai-600009.

              Email- hfwsec@gmail.com

         4.  The Mission Director (NHM),  Department of Health & Family Welfare,

               Government of Tamil Nadu,  359, Anna Salai, 5th Floor,

               DMS Annex Building,  Teynampet, Chennai- 600006.

          5.  The Commissioner, Food Safety & Drug Administration Department,

                359, Anna Salai, Teynampet, Chennai-600009.

                commrfssatn@gmail.com;

         6.  The Director and Additional Commissioner of Food Safety,               

               O/o. The Commissioner of Food Safety, 359, Anna Salai,

               D.M.S Campus, Teynampet, Chennai-600006.

Sir,

Subject: Flourishing Bucket Biriyani culture throughout the state of Tamil Nadu- Hotels serving hot biriyani filed in a plastic bucket in large quantity in direct contact with plastic buckets which have a chance to leach carcinogenic substance onto foods can causes serious lifestyle non-communicable diseases to consumers- alternate measures – suggestions – Reg:

We, the Health & Health Care Council, an NGO upon noticing the latest culture of Bucket Biriyani sold by the Hotels/Restaurants which is flourishing throughout our State and based on the proven scientific studies with regard to the impact of hot foods in direct contact with plastic buckets which creates carcinogenic effects on the human bodies, this representation is addressed on public interest for appropriate action and for alternate remedial measures and suggestions:- That -

(i)    The Hotels/Restaurants in our State is commonly selling the Biriyani in Buckets in large quantity through retails and on door delivery marketing strategies as families/employees who wish to dine together at home/offices and outer places. The largest quantity of bucket biriyani are being consumed by peoples day by day without aware of the fact of hot foods in direct contact with plastic bucket secretes carcinogenic effects on the human bodies and the impact thereupon which is a proven scientific studies.

(ii)    Even though FBO claims such a plastic buckets used for packing is BPA- free, the other plastic products also contain similar replacement chemicals as Bisphenol - A (BPA) the infamous of the group of 40 or 50 chemicals and such compounds have been charged either with adding new or removing existing chemicals and introduced in the form of BPA - free plastics claiming it as BPS and BPF which may have similar effects to the predecessor.

(iii)    Researchers say it is difficult to answer which plastic containers are safe without greater transparency about what chemicals make up everyday plastic materials. In 2019, the Food Packaging Forum (FPF), a Switzerland-based not-for-profit focused on the science behind food packaging, compiled a database of more than 900 chemicals “likely” associated with plastic food packaging production worldwide and another 3,400 “possibly” used. Of those 4,300 chemicals, 60% did not have any available hazard data, researchers found. While that being so, how the FBO can claim the plastic bucket used for packaging hot biriyani are safe and sustainable.

(iv)    Due to the impact of such practices, peoples are much inclined to prone to  lifestyle non-communicable diseases like heart diseases, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung diseases flourishing day by days.

(v)    Right to healthy foods is a fundamental rights as enshrined in Art.21 of the Constitution of India apart from reach the “Good Health and Well-being”, one of the common goal of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development framed by United Nation to which India signatory.

Hence in the interest of public at large and in order to ensure healthy practices are being adopted by FBO, we request the benign authority to forthwith look into the issue raised by us and to issue appropriate guidelines/notification ensuring not to serve hot food stuffs in direct contact with the plastic and in the alternative the following suggestions is addressed to adopt aluminum foiled paper to wrap the biriyani before keeping into the plastic buckets or any other customary natural method of packing palm leaf box, banana leaf, clay pot etc., which would serve the purpose, cause no harm to the mankind.

                                                          Thanking You.

                                                                                                                                                              Sd/-

                                                                                                                                                     President (EHCC)