Mumbai: Rising food costs and hygiene expenses amid FDA crackdown may make dining costlier

Rising ingredient prices are not the only reason diners may soon pay more at restaurants Hoteliers say higher overheads including investments in cleaning equipment staff training and upgraded hygiene practices are adding to their costs as they adapt to evolving standardsThe Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association AHAR plans to increase menu prices by 1015 per cent from next week with industry representatives citing rising raw material costs and the expense of maintaining hygiene and cleanlinessldquoOverhead charges apart from the rise in raw material costs have risen We need to train our staff in terms of hygiene in an upgraded manner salaries need to be increased accordingly cleanliness upgrades such as better and electric cleaning equipment need to be introducedrdquo said Vijay K Shetty president AHARRepresentation piciStockHe said the industry had absorbed rising costs for a considerable period and that the proposed hike was necessary to maintain food quality hygiene and service rather than to increase profitsldquoWe are not saying that the hotels have given unclean services till date But yes upgrades must be done as per the needs of the time And all these upgrades add up to financial burdens even if they look smallrdquo Shetty saidNo aram hereRestaurant owners say maintaining hygiene now requires additional spending on staff and supplies Kaustubh Tambe owner of Aram Vada Pav said he was considering hiring an agency to deploy a dedicated cleaner for each shiftldquoOur staff have been cleaning the hotel properly and regularly But now the situation is such that if there is a delay in cleaning a portion just for a few minutes due to rush or something people make a fuss and then there are FDA inspectors ready to catch hold of even honest hoteliers like usrdquo Tambe saidHe said the agency had quoted Rs 30000 a month for one person which would amount to R60000 a month for two shiftsTambe added that the restaurant had also switched to foodgrade wrapping paper instead of cheaper newspapers increasing its expenses He said raw material prices had also risen sharplyThe other sideDiners say hygiene is a basic obligation for food businesses and question why customers should pay extra for standards they already expectWhy restaurants say costs are rising1 Raw materials Restaurant owners cite rising ingredient prices2 Staff and training Hoteliers say they need to invest in hygiene training and higher salaries3 Cleaning Dedicated cleaning staff and modern cleaning equipment add to overheads4 Food packaging Foodgrade wrapping paper costs more than newspapers which some establishments previously used5 FDA fines Restaurant owners say penalties for violations add to their financial burdenHeavy fines add to burdenRestaurant owners have also pointed to fines imposed by the Food and Drug Administration FDA as an additional financial strainldquoThe fines are as high as five and ten lakh Which hotel can bear this bruntrdquo asked Naresh Nayak owner of Cafe MysoreNayak said several businesses in the community had suffered losses after being fined His own restaurant has been closed for renovations for several monthsWith raw material prices rising amid geopolitical tensions he questioned whether a single menu price hike would be enough to cover the additional costsDiners question paying extraCustomers meanwhile say hygiene should be a basic requirement of any food business and not a reason to charge moreldquoAny business that you run demands hygiene mdash irrespective of it being something consumable or not In a city like Mumbai no one will ever stop eating outside food But does that give freedom to either give lowquality food or serve it in unhygienic conditionsrdquo asked Bharti Lalvani a Malad residentAnother resident Suhasini Venkatesh questioned the value of paying more when hygiene lapses can occur even at highend establishmentsldquoPaying a bit extra for hygiene is understandable But what do you do when cockroaches are found even in 5star hotel food What are they charging extra for thenrdquo she saidThe price hike Proposed increase 1015 per cent Effective from Next week according to AHAR Reasons cited Higher raw material costs and additional spending on cleanliness and staffing