Posh eateries take it upon themselves to feed Delhi’s hungry

Even as Food Distribution and Consumer Affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan hinted at dictating portion size to prevent wastage of food, restaurants in the Capital say they have been acting on the issue for some time now, by devising their own mechanisms to ensure that extra food reaches the needy.

Last month, Paswan had said that his ministry will soon define the amount of food to be served in restaurants and hotels. The announcement sent a lot of industry players into a tizzy, with some scrambling for a plan of action, while others in NCR have taken the lead in utilising the food that’s left at the end of the day.

One such place is Molecule in Sector 29, Gurugram. Every night around 11, having finished their day’s work, a group of kids huddle outside the outlet, all smiles because they know that irrespective of their earnings for the day, they won’t sleep on an empty stomach. The restaurant feeds about 30 children who sell small ware like pens, balloons, toys etc on traffic signals.

“We are left with about 6-7 kg of food every day in our kitchen. I personally feel that throwing it away is criminal. So, our staff members serve …read more