2024, Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part A

author(s)
Rohan Vishwas Joglekar

abstract
Food is amongst the basic necessities of life. Most of the commercial places or kitchens in India, specially in 5-star or 3-star hotels have various facilities like exhaust systems or fire suppression systems installed to get rid of the smoke & harmful fumes. However, a large number of people in India still reside in villages & most of this rural population depends on burning biomass as a fuel. There is no proper exhaust system & a lot of these fumes are inhaled by the people causing serious health hazards. Cooking fumes contain a wide gamut of organic compounds & can cause serious lung damage. The ever-growing food industry is giving very less attention to the health of the workers or employees, chefs, waiters etc. Despite making healthy profits, ironically the health of the poor is manipulated by offering petty insurances & unhygienic living conditions in return. Very few establishments actually have proper exhaust systems in their respective kitchen areas. Even if they do, the exhaust system's functionality and proper inspection is followed only on paper. The commercialization & globalization has ever grown. The hospitality & food industry is one of the fastest growing industries globally and in India as well.