A vada pav wrapped in old newspaper, brightly coloured Manchurian and a vendor serving food without gloves — these have long been familiar sights on Mumbai’s streets.But a viral video suggests some of that is changing.A content creator recently shared a look at how street food vendors and eateries in Mumbai are cleaning up their act following a strict food-safety crackdown led by Maharashtra’s state food safety commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe.And people online have definitely noticed.
No more newspaper-wrapped vada pav?
One of the changes highlighted in the video is something many Mumbaikars will recognise immediately: vada pavs are reportedly no longer being wrapped in newspapers.Instead, vendors are using clean butter paper.The shift matters because newspaper ink can transfer onto food, raising food-safety concerns. What used to be treated as a convenient way to wrap a snack is now being replaced with a much cleaner option.The video also points to another noticeable change – artificial food colours.Restaurants have reportedly cut back on bright, artificial dyes, with dishes such as Manchurian and chutneys being served in more natural-looking colours.
Gloves, hairnets and cleaner utensils
The changes aren’t limited to how the food looks.According to the creator, chefs and street vendors are now more consistently wearing gloves and hairnets while preparing food.Cooking equipment is also getting more attention. Plates, pans and other utensils were shown being cleaned thoroughly, with the creator even doing a tissue-wipe check on a plate. The tissue appeared clean, without visible dust.There are smaller changes too.The video showed local products such as bread and toast, along with ketchup bottles at restaurants, beginning to display clearer information such as MRP, ingredients and expiry dates.None of these things are particularly flashy. But for anyone eating street food regularly, they’re the kind of changes that can make a difference.
‘One officer doing his job brought this much change’
The video, captioned “Badlav”, meaning “change”, has gone massively viral.It has crossed 35.5 million views, with nearly two million likes and thousands of comments.Many viewers praised Mundhe’s approach and said the changes showed what can happen when food-safety rules are actually enforced.“One officer doing his job brought this much change,” one user wrote.Another said that if more government officials worked with the same focus, the impact could be much bigger.The reaction has been less about one particular vada pav or restaurant and more about something people encounter every day: the food they buy on the street.Mumbai’s street-food culture isn’t going anywhere. But if the viral video is anything to go by, the way that food is prepared and served may be changing – one pair of gloves, sheet of butter paper and cleaner plate at a time.
