Despite ban, vendors in Erode district continue to use newspaper to serve snacks

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - June 12, 2026 06:04 pm IST - ERODE A man having a snack wrapped in old newspaper at an eatery in Erode on Friday. | Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN Deep-fried snacks such as vada, bajji, bonda and samosa continue to be wrapped and handed over to consumers in used newspapers at several tea stalls and bakeries across the district, despite a ban on the practice. This has raised questions about the extent of monitoring and enforcement by the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department. While many bakeries and eateries have switched to paper plates and food-grade packaging materials, hot snacks are still being placed on newspaper sheets or packed in them for takeaway at a number of establishments in both urban and rural areas. According to food safety experts, printing inks contain chemicals, pigments and heavy metals, including lead, that can seep into hot or oily food. Deep-fried snacks are particularly vulnerable as oil accelerates the transfer of contaminants from the printed surface. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited wrapping, serving and storing food in newspapers. Experts further note that discarded newspapers may also contain traces of solvents, pigments, adhesives and substances associated with printing and recycling processes. Long-term exposure to such contaminants could pose health risks. Awareness among consumers remains limited, and many continue to accept newspaper-wrapped snacks out of habit and convenience. “Most people buy snacks without thinking about the paper used for serving them. Many are unaware of the risks,” said a resident of Kollampalayam, who wished to remain anonymous. “Most people buy snacks without thinking about the paper used for serving them. Many are unaware of the risks.”A resident of Kollampalayam Owners of small establishments often attribute the continued reliance on newspapers to their low cost and easy availability. “Newspapers are cheap and easily available for serving snacks,” said a tea stall owner at Marapalam. Another shopkeeper at Solar said customers frequently use the paper to absorb excess oil from fried snacks. A group of consumers have called for stronger awareness campaigns and stricter action against violators. They said that although inspections are conducted periodically, the practice remains widespread. Food Safety Department officials claim to have repeatedly advised food business operators against wrapping or serving food in newspapers, but consumers contend that sustained inspections and stricter enforcement are necessary to ensure compliance. District Designated Officer K. Varalakshmi could not be reached for comments. Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Despite ban, vendors in Erode district continue to use newspaper to serve snacks

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