Food-safety scares are everywhere. What can diners really do? A chef weighs in

Food-safety crackdowns have left diners asking: where can we eat now? An acclaimed chef weighs in on what customers can control, and whether options like kitchen CCTV can be the solution people are looking for.Experts shares food safety checklist that customers should be aware about (Photo: Pexels)The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe-led crackdown across Maharashtra has put food safety firmly under the spotlight, with the concerns now extending beyond the state as well. While people are appreciative of the move, there's one looming question: Where do we eat now?There's adulterated food, cockroaches roaming inside famous bakeries like Big Chill, several deficiencies by 5-star luxury properties like JW Marriott. Then where does that leave the diners?In the wildest dreams, who could have imagined that eating at your favourite, posh restaurant would also require the eye of a vigilante. Dissecting every bite before eating, smelling the food and scanning the place for hygiene issues or a live worm. When did the world come to this?So, if diners are now expected to keep an eye out for food-safety red flags, should we start by watching the kitchen too? The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and a few other experts seem to think so, with Harsh Goenka recently taking to X to hail the move. India Today Digital spoke to acclaimed Chef Vanshika Bhatia, entrepreneur and founder of Gram Street Coffee and Petite Pie Shop, to understand what diners should be looking out for — and, importantly, what they simply can't see.Before coming to the red flags, let's look at the latest buzz about CCTV in kitchens.Kitchen under surveillance? Live kitchen CCTV has emerged as one possible answer to the demand for greater transparency. After all, what better way to know what's happening behind the scenes than to actually watch it?But Chef Bhatia says it isn't that straightforward.“I understand the appeal of it, especially when people are asking for more transparency, but I wouldn’t support live kitchen CCTV as a substitute for proper food safety checks.”A camera can show you what is happening during that particular moment of service. It won’t tell you where an ingredient came from, whether it was stored at the right temperature overnight, or whether the kitchen followed its cleaning and storage protocols earlier in the day, she explains.According to her, a professional kitchen during a busy service can appear fast, chaotic or even messy to someone watching remotely, even when the staff are following the correct food-safety protocols. Open kitchens offer transparency but only to an extent. (Photo: Pexels) However, she agrees that “an open kitchen, where practical, can also give customers a much better understanding of how a restaurant actually works.”While some chefs and experts have advocated the idea of allowing customers to request a look at the kitchen, Bhatia has a different outlook. She believes diners have every right to ask questions about hygiene and food handling, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they should be allowed into a restaurant’s working kitchen.“A customer doesn’t have an automatic right to enter a commercial kitchen. A restaurant kitchen is a controlled working space, and there are hygiene, safety and operational reasons for restricting access, particularly during service. Having said that, I think customers asking questions about hygiene or how their food is being handled is completely reasonable.”Of course, this doesn't mean diners are completely powerless. There are still a few things you can look out for from your table.The basic checklistWhat meets the eyeRestaurants should display their FSSAI licence or registration details, as applicable, and that’s one of the simplest things a customer can check.“For packaged food being sold by the establishment, customers should also be able to access the relevant information on the packaging, including ingredients, dates and allergen information where applicable,” Bhatia said. One dirty table doesn’t necessarily tell you anything about a kitchen, but if basic cleanliness is poor in the restaurant, that would be a reason to be more cautious. (Photo: Pexels) You don't need to be a food-safety expert to notice certain warning signs. Cleanliness, food temperature, staff hygiene and the way food is handled around you can all offer clues. Hot food should arrive hot and chilled food should stay chilled, particularly when it comes to perishables like dairy, seafood, raw preparations and certain desserts.And if something smells, looks or tastes off, don’t ignore it. Most importantly, look for consistency — a single dirty table may mean little, but poor cleanliness across the restaurant is a reason to be cautious.But Bhatia says these visible checks are only one part of the picture.What customers can't seeShe points to certain everyday mistakes that are usually the least dramatic, but can become a problem when they happen repeatedly."Temperature control is a big one. Cooked food left out for too long, improper cooling, or an overcrowded refrigerator can all create problems. Cross-contamination is another common mistake — raw meat, seafood and ready-to-eat food need to be handled separately, with surfaces and utensils cleaned between tasks." Beyond the hygiene that meets the eye, temperature control, cross contamination and storage are crucial aspects. (Photo: Pexels) Storage matters too. Ingredients should be covered, labelled, dated and rotated properly, rather than getting pushed to the back of a refrigerator and forgotten. Then there’s staff training: you can have the best equipment and suppliers, but if staff don’t understand why a process matters, the system can still break down.Last bite“I think the conversation should ultimately be about making restaurants more accountable for what they source and serve, rather than making customers afraid of individual foods,” Bhatia says.Ultimately, it is up to restaurants to be disciplined in their service, and not just when there’s a fear of inspection. And as diners, there's only so much you can do. So enjoy, while you can, what you can.- EndsPublished By: Jigyasa SahayPublished On: Aug 28, 2026 17:54 IST