No more fried bhajiyas for Mumbai police, boss pushes for healthier options

n a bid to inculcate healthier eating habits among the police force, Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar recently sought help from renowned nutritionist Rekha Diwekar.

As the first order of business, Diwekar visited Flavours, the in-house canteen of the Mumbai Police Headquarters in South Mumbai.

Following her visit, the nutrition expert reportedly made three major recommendations to the canteen staff to ensure city policemen remain fit and healthy while eating there.

Diwekar first asked the staff to stop making deep-fried bhajiyas everyday and replace it with healthier options like poha.

But, since bhajiyas are a favorite among cops at the canteen, she suggested that it be made into a weekly special.

Apart from cracking a whip on bhajiyas, Diwekar also recommended that packaged curd be replaced with fresh one and steel vessels be used instead of aluminium ones.

While talking to a leading daily, Diwarker was all praise for the overall standards maintained by the canteen, which is far from most ordinary government offices.

“I was invited to give a general review and offer suggestions on how to further improve the nutrition level of the food offered at Flavours. I was quite impressed by it and that it performed well in both the health and hygiene aspects,” Diwekar told The Indian Express.

The canteen was started in 2011 by then Police Commissioner, Arup Patnik, who wanted to replace the daily staple of vada pavs with healthier alternatives.

Due to the increasing number of heart diseases among police officials, the top brass has been trying to do everything possible to change their outlook towards health, from incorporating healthier eating options at work to conducting free and regular medical checkups.