#StreetFood: The Ice In That Drink May Endanger Your Health

 

Pune’s scorching heat sends you scurrying for your favourite street side juice vendor doesn’t it ?

What better than a juice filled Ice Gola (Crushed Ice Lolly) or a cooling glass of freshlime juice to beat this heat?

Nothing can quite match that, but did you ever realise that the ice used may not be fit for human consumption?

According to an FDA notification issued on March 30, 2018 ice manufacturers should not use drinking water for the ice manufactured for industrial purposes whereas ice manufactured for human consumption should be made from drinking water only.

 

Recently FDA has ordered all the ice manufacturers to use a blue colour additive in ice manufactured for industrial purposes. The ice manufacturers have however neglected these guidelines, consequent to which FDA conducted raids at various locations in the city.

Reports suggest that several cases have been unearthed where industrial use ice has been supplied for human consumption clearly putting consumers at risk, in view of the quality of water used to manufacture this ice.

We spoke to several constituents of the city to check on this health endangering practice.

Dr Dinesh Puri, a general physician said, “It is true that the ice isn’t stored in clean places and then are high chances of people falling prey to jaundice. People need to be aware of the current situation, and avoid their desire to consume these tempting sherbets.”

We have often seen that ice is kept in a cloth wrapped or in a thermocol box which looks extremely dirty, I wonder why people risk their health by consuming at these outlets. The only solution to these problems is to make your own popsicles at home, buy a juice bottle with an ISI mark or buy a tetra packed juice,” Dr. Puri adds.

While speaking to an Ice Distributor he said, “The ice is made in the factory and nobody knows with what water the ice is made. However, they tell us that the ice is made from mineral water and charge money accordingly.”

The Ice is supplied and we at the shop ensure it to keep it in a clean place, the health inspectors have never visited stores to check the quality of ice,” he added.

Dagadu Ubale, a juice vendor said, “I have been running this business for the past seven years and we don’t know from which this ice is made.

I honestly do not know whether it is from drinking water, or water from the borewell.

Although I strongly believe that the ice is made from drinking water because we can understand the difference in water with its taste. There is a shop and we buy it from them, and we take precautions to keep it in a clean box. So far the health inspector has never visited the centre for checking.

“The temperature is rising day by day and these coolers work like magic in summer,” says Shweta Mane, a content writer.

The heat is so intense that people hardly think of anything, before sipping the juice. Most of us know that the ice is not kept in an hygienic place and we can always order our juice without ice.

“I have heard reports that ice used by the roadside vendors is the same kind of ice used by morgues,” says Mayan Mundle, Techie.

I have been in Pune for past several years, yet have never come across any FDI inspector checking ice quality with the suppliers and vendors.

“I have experienced several stomach issues after consuming these drinks from roadside vendors and advised my friends to avoid it as well. I understand they can be really dangerous,” he adds.

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#All views expressed in this article are those of the individual respondents and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.