There are several hiccups to the newly-launched Eat Right Kerala app. It points to eateries serving safe food in hygienic environments.
Eat Right App Logo
Here’s a state-run initiative for gourmets and others wanting safe food while eating out in Kerala.
Sporadic incidents of food poisoning in Kerala have raised the question about where to eat. The government has now come out with a solution: An app that directs the consumer to the right place.
The mobile application, Eat Right Kerala, is designed to promote safe eating habits by recommending eateries adhering to high hygiene and safety standards across the state.
The application enables users to find establishments based on user ratings, the establishments’ compliance with food safety regulations, and government audits.
Eat Right is promising an end to the concerns over food safety and quality. According to the latest figures released by the Food Safety Department, close to 1,700 restaurants have registered with the app.
Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George launched the app on 7 June, coinciding with World Food Safety Day. It was rolled out with the mission of keeping the official theme of World Food Safety Day, ‘Food Standards Save Lives’.
Hotels, restaurants, bakeries, and juice stalls that have registered with the app have to take up self-assessment and correction. They are later subjected to a detailed inspection and evaluation by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)-authorised auditors.
An initiative of the state Food Safety Department, the Eat Right Kerala app is a government-owned app released on Google Playstore. It was developed to introduce a hygiene rating scheme. It will:
The department ensures the standard of food through an evaluation process.
To register, an eatery should undergo a process of self-assessment by filling up a questionnaire, and determining its standard of hygiene. For a higher rating, the establishment has to strictly abide by the food safety guidelines.
“The questionnaire helps in determining whether the restaurant has mechanisms to prevent food contamination, control pests, ensure ventilation and general hygiene of staff and premises,” Emmi Abraham, Food Safety Officer of the Piravom Circle in Ernakulam, said.
“It is followed up by an audit by a food safety official,” she told South First.
The Eat Right app integrates the Food Safety Act and various other related regulations with related informative articles.
It allows users to stay informed about the requirements that are to be followed by the establishments. All users can access food safety-related documents included in the app.
Additionally, the app’s integration with the Food Safety Grievance Portal provides a convenient platform for users to report any complaints or concerns they may have about establishments listed in the app. Other establishments, too, could be reported through the app.
“The primary objective is to eliminate the worries the general public may have about the quality and safety of the food,” Abraham added.
The app is designed to give directions to healthy eating spots. However, the users have raised several red flags.
The app currently has over 10,000 downloads. Multiple users have raised issues regarding functionality and effectiveness of the app with detailed reviews. Complaints of listed hotels being permanently closed, incorrect location and grievances not being addressed are rampant.
The incorrect location of establishments listed in the app has been confusing the users. Several users complained the restaurants’ locations were displayed wrongly, often kilometres apart.
“Paragon Restaurant is at LuLu Mall in Edappally. But the app is directing me to South Kalamassery,” a user, Renjith MS, wrote in his review.
Another used complained that a grievance he raised has not been addressed. “It’s been days since I raised a complaint against a restaurant in the grievance portal. It still hasn’t been addressed,” he noted.
“It doesn’t provide the menu card. The ‘About’ sections of the restaurants provided in the app are not informative either. All this information should be added to make the process easier,” Ajay Udayan, a food blogger on Instagram, told South First.
Another user, Arshi Ahmed is happy. “A must-have for people who travel a lot. It straightaway provides trusted food spots and there is no need to ask around. The grievance portal will notify the food safety official of that region which will come in handy in case a situation arises,” he reviewed.
Food Safety Officer Abraham said more establishments would gradually be included as and when the registration process and auditing are completed.
“All app-related problems can be forwarded to the developers over the the email, foodsafetykeraladev@gmail.com. The app is still in its formative days,” she added.
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