Food Manifest 
Key Development A medical board has confirmed that people who fell ill after eating seafood from a restaurant in Vizhinjam developed similar symptoms, raising concerns about possible marine toxin exposure. S. Arunraj (39), a native of Vazhamuttam, remains in critical condition at a private hospital in Anayara. Doctors have placed him on ventilator support and
READ MORE
Key Development The State Institute for Animal Diseases (SIAD) in Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, has set up a new Toxicology Laboratory Complex and Toxin Residue Analysis Unit to strengthen food safety and animal health surveillance in Kerala. Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J. Chinchu Rani will inaugurate the facility, established with ₹4.5 crore under the
READ MORE
Key Update Restaurants can no longer add service charges by default. In a recent move, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) declared that forcing customers to pay a service charge is an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The Delhi High Court backed the guidelines and directed restaurants to comply strictly. The
READ MORE
Key Development Walk into any supermarket in India and you will see apples labelled “imported” or “premium,” often sold at higher prices. Many consumers assume that a higher price means better nutrition. But that assumption does not always hold. Dr Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist based in Hyderabad, advises consumers to look beyond glossy packaging and
READ MORE
Key Update A new study has raised serious food safety concerns in Kerala after detecting Escherichia coli (E. coli) in 54.17% of retail chicken samples tested across the state. Researchers analysed 600 samples collected between 2019 and 2023 from Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kollam and Pathanamthitta. The findings point to widespread bacterial contamination in
READ MORE
Key Development Renowned for its vibrant street food culture and devoted food lovers, Surat is now grappling with a growing problem—food adulteration. In 2025, the health department of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) seized more than 13 times the quantity of adulterated, substandard, and fake food products compared to the previous year. Officials linked this
READ MORE