Should Malaysians Wrap Food In Newspapers?
What would Malaysia be without treats like pisang goreng & keropok lekor? These are bites popularly found at road side stalls Malaysians are more than willing to head out & hunt for. An issue, however, rises when it comes to the hygiene of packaging - newspapers are commonly used to wrap or soak the oil from the fried foods. Do you think it's OK to wrap food in newspapers? Vote in "Responses"!
By Melody Oei — 27 May 2013, 07:06 PM — Updated about 11 years ago
When are newspapers used to wrap food?
Food sold at the road side in Malaysia can sometimes be found wrapped in newspapers.
Image via wordpress.com
Food wrapped in newspapers are commonly found from road side food stalls around Malaysia.
Image via chihealth.inMany small food outlets wrap food in old newspapers. Even though the street vendor might have prepared the food hygienically, the food wrapping may make the food hazardous.
What National Poison Centre consultant Dr T. Jayabalan SAYS:
"The habit of using newspapers to soak the oil off fried food is unacceptable as those who consume such food will endanger their health."
thestar.com.my
"Solvents are used to dissolve the ink on newspapers. These solvents could be carcinogenic. Consuming food which is mixed with these chemicals puts people at risk of getting serious chronic illnesses."
thestar.com.my
Why is it bad to wrap food in newspapers?
Studies have shown that the newspaper ink which is carcinogenic (cancer-causing) can get leached into the food that it is in contact with.
Many newspapers use low quality ink that is highly toxic. It is also known that old newspapers are excellent breeding grounds for various bacteria and viruses. If the ink in the newspapers is fresh, it can irritate your stomach and can also cause respiratory problems.
Should we or should we not use newspapers to wrap food? Malaysians comment:
The responses of Malaysian netizens on the issue of wrapping food with newspapers.
Image via imgur.comWhat are the possible solutions to this problem?
Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohd Idris said hawkers should be banned from using newspapers to absorb oil from fried food, "Local councils should make it a requirement that all hawkers be prohibited from such practices before granting them an operating licence."
thestar.com.my
Mohd Idris said hawkers and food operators should also stop using newspapers to wrap food covered with plastic sheets, "You never know if the plastic sheets have holes in them. The food may still be contaminated with the ink on the newspaper and other chemicals."
"It's a good hygiene practice to wrap food items in butter paper or tissue paper instead of newspapers. We too have tried to educate vendors on the same," said director of food and drugs administration in India, Salim Veljee.