India’s Uttar Pradesh to introduce law banning ‘spitting in food’

The government in India ’s largest state is planning to bring in a law banning deliberate contamination of food with spit, reportedly after a rise in such complaints.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Uttar Pradesh is contemplating introducing an ordinance following the circulation of unverified videos allegedly showing individuals spitting into food to be served to people in restaurants and other places.

The videos sparked tension in the state even as many of them were debunked as misinformation.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath scheduled a high-level meeting on Tuesday, bringing together senior officials from multiple departments, including Home, Food and Civil Supplies, and Law, to review and discuss the provisions of the proposed ordinance.

Two ordinances which have been tentatively named named “Prevention of Pseudo and Anti-Harmony Activities and Prohibition of Spitting Ordinance 2024” and “Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Contamination in Food (Consumer Right to know) Ordinance 2024” would be discussed in the meeting, reported the Indian Express .

The ordinance will have both preventive and punitive measures for those tampering with food in the state, officials said.

It would be an extension of Mr Adityanath’s series of orders last month that made it mandatory for food businesses to display the names and addresses of operators, proprietors, and managers.

He also directed that CCTV cameras be installed in both large and small food establishments, with a requirement for owners to make footage available to local authorities upon request.

“A state-wide intensive campaign should be conducted to verify all employees, including the operators of these establishments. This verification process must be completed swiftly by a joint team comprising Food Safety and Drug Administration, Police, and Local Administration”, the statement from chief minister’s office last month said.

It said the orders were on the heels of rising “incidents of adulterating food items like juice, dals (lentils), and roti (chappatis) with human waste, inedible, or dirty substances have been reported from various parts of the country”.

However, some civil society activists and opposition politicians have called the move “discriminatory” and warned that it could fuel tensions in India.

The videos, allegedly showing some individuals spitting in or licking packaged or unpackaged items such as fruits, vegetables, and street food, are being widely shared on social media. However, some of these clips were found to be from other countries.