Pune: Caterers have upped their game ahead of Ganesh festival season as bookings rise from individual households and housing societies, but the surge in demand has also put the spotlight on food safety and regulatory compliance.Large-scale preparation of prasad, snacks and festive meals are expected and caterers are ensuring that they follow all food safety norms to ensure they are fully compliant with FDA norms. “We are making sure ingredients sourced are of the best quality, keeping an eye on expired food stock and ensuring hygiene standards are maintained while catering to large number of people during this upcoming festive period,” said Rohit Bhalerao, who runs Annapurna caterers in Kothrud.Individuals and housing societies are asking questions before booking caterers. “We have approximately 250-300 guests coming over during the three days of Ganeshotsav at home. We have placed an order with a caterer for snacks on all days, but I raised questioned regarding the oil used for samosas and asked for pictures of the kitchen to check hygiene levels,” said Shefali Sathe, a resident of Hadapsar.Even housing societies placing bulk orders are checking if caterers are properly registered and following food safety norms.Caterers said that overall bookings have not gone up, but customers are willing to pay more per meal. Queries about the re-heating process of food, quality of cooking oil, water usage and storage are rising.“We reconfirmed with our caterer about best practices being followed before confirming them for this year’s celebrations in the society. We don’t mind paying a slightly higher cost per plate, if we are getting good quality food,” said a committee member of a housing society in Wanowrie.Ganesh Supekar, who runs Jagdamba catering in Ravet, said they have become more mindful about the use of food colouring, MSG, etc, in food. “We were following all hygiene norms earlier too, now we are modifying everything basis the specific requirements,” he said.Nandkumar Nair, who runs Aishwarya Caterers, said, “We have become extremely careful in maintaining hygiene levels of the staff working with us too. We are enforcing head caps while cooking and gloves while serving.”
