Interview: Ram Vilas Paswan ‘Why should restaurant menus have only prices printed and not portions?’

This is an idea, and it is aimed to check food wastage. I want to implement it across all top food chains and restaurants — even in five-star hotels. Customers are charged heftily for food there but they do not know the amount of food they have ordered. So when the dishes are served, a lot of food — almost 60 to 80 per cent of it — is left in the end. Besides a consumer’s money, it also leads to food wastage, something on which even the PM has expressed concern. So we want to check it.

Are you attempting to enact a legislation for it, or will you issue specific instructions to restaurants?

There is no plan to make a law. My ministry plans to hold a meeting of all stakeholders —hoteliers, ministry officials and consumer bodies — and chalk out a plan on how to prevent this wastage. We will seek their suggestions. It is not that we are rushing towards enacting a law on it. This concern exists in other countries too, and we will see how they are doing (enforcing) it.

The move has faced flak. Why should the government advise restaurants what should be the portion of a dish, or how much they should serve per plate?

No, we will not fix the portion to be served. What we are asking is that they should provide information on the menu about the amount of food they are serving in a particular dish. Why can’t they put on the menu how many mushrooms, chicken or fish pieces will there be in a particular dish so that consumers can make an informed choice on how much they have to order?

They should also provide clear details of the amount of food they serving in a full, half or quarter plate. And they should offer not only a full plate but also half- and quarter-plates of dishes so that consumers do not have to (always) pay for a full plate when he intends to have only half…. If one wants to eat two tiger prawns, why should he pay for a plate of six prawns, or pay for four idlis per plate when he has to eat two?

What prompted you to focus on this? What was the pressing need?

Food wastage is a major concern. At wedding parties and restaurants a large amount of food is wasted at a time when the poor have to struggle for food. This wastage has to be stopped. And what is the problem with it? When you go to a dhaba, you know what you are ordering – the number of chapatis, and the amount of dal or sabzi. (Similarly), top restaurants should also specify…like it is written on water bottles whether they carry two, one or half-litre water. Why should menus in top restaurants only have prices printed and not the amount of food being served? Our intention is good. We will find a way out.