Fixing portion sizes of dishes highly impractical, says HRAWI

Govt suggestion would make eating out more expensive, says the Hotels and restaurants body

Hotels and restaurants body HRAWI on Wednesday described as "highly impractical" the government's proposal to fix portion sizes of dishes although the thought behind the concept is noble.

Hotel and Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI) also said Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's suggestion to specify portion size of a meal to enable customers order the right amount would make eating out more expensive.

"Although the thought behind this concept is noble and we appreciate it but to implement this idea is highly impractical," HRAWI president Dilip Datwani said in a statement.

On the implications of such a move on hotels and restaurants, he said: "It essentially would mean that hoteliers will now have to customise dishes or portions of a dish to individual appetites."

If the suggested move does come into effect, pricing would most certainly be affected, making eating out more expensive for the consumer, Datwani added.

Serving smaller portions may reduce food wastage and consumers on Wednesday are conscious about not wasting food and don't place orders for food items that they cannot consume, he said.

Datwani said the hospitality sector has already taken steps voluntarily to prevent food wastage.

"Restaurants and hotels nowadays have tie ups with NGOs that pick up any excess food that is safe to consume and distribute it among the poor and needy," he said.

Yesterday, Paswan had said that the hospitality industry would be asked whether it can do it "voluntarily" or needed the government to make legal provisions for it.

His remarks came nearly a fortnight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over large-scale wastage of food in the country.