Report

The Kerala High Court has directed the state government to address the widespread use of plastic in food delivery services and to submit a response within two weeks. While hearing a petition on food safety, Justice Devan Ramachandran observed that serving hot food items such as curries, gravies, or rice in plastic containers exposes consumers to microplastics, which pose serious health risks.

Covid Impact Cited

The court noted that the anti-plastic campaign had gained significant momentum before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the surge in home deliveries during the pandemic increased the use of plastic containers. The bench referred to a leading oncologist’s statement that the rising cases of cancers, particularly of the liver, intestine, and colon, could partly stem from microplastic ingestion due to hot food packed in plastic.

Next Hearing in Three Weeks

Additional Director General of Prosecution Gracious Kuriakose assured the Kerala High Court that the state would tackle the issue and report progress by the next hearing. The court will review the matter again in three weeks.

Source: The Times of India