COST OF EATING OUT
A fortnight after PM Modi expressed concern over food wastage, the Centre is preparing to mandate that restaurants specify portion sizes.
According to Ram Vilas Paswan, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is drafting a questionnaire for hotels and restaurants to suggest what portion size they should serve.
This is unfair, because if one’s hunger is not satisfied by one serving / portion, s/he will be forced to order another dish. This move will burn a hole in the common man’s pocket.
Every eatery has a different business model and portion sizes are fixed accordingly. One solution instead could be to encourage diners to take leftovers home.
Eateries can also be asked to tie up with NGOS who donate leftovers to the poor. Food wasted at weddings and parties also needs to be monitored.
If the Centre’s move is carried out, diners might be forced to look at cheaper options like street food, considering the ever higher cost of eating out. This will equate to a loss of business or revenues for the hospitality industry. serve heavy snacks, and the guests feasting don’t realise that dinner is yet to be served.when the stomach is almost full with drinks and snacks, how can the guests do justice to an elaborate buffet?
This is sheer wastage of food. Many people wouldn’t like restaurant portions to become smaller, but I believe the Centre’s advice could be beneficial.
That said, if served portions are too small, patrons will have to order more and as a result, foot higher bills.
Any leftover food that’s not taken home by patrons should be distributed to the poor. At