India’s northern states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have announced strict new penalties to combat food contamination, introducing heavy fines and prison sentences for offenders found spitting, urinating, or otherwise contaminating food. Under these laws, offenders in Uttarakhand face fines of up to 100,000 rupees, while Uttar Pradesh is preparing ordinances that could impose prison sentences of up to ten years for similar offenses. These measures follow viral videos allegedly showing vendors spitting on food, which fueled public outrage over food hygiene and food safety concerns.
However, the new laws have sparked controversy, with critics arguing they could unfairly target Muslim vendors due to the communal undertones seen in social media responses. Many of the videos circulated with claims of “thook-jihad” (or “spit-jihad”), a term popularized by Hindu nationalist groups to allege Muslims are defiling food to harm Hindus. Although fact-checking debunked some of these claims, the incidents have ignited a larger debate around religious targeting and the manipulation of food safety concerns to deepen community divides.
Officials from both states maintain that the laws are solely for public health protection, citing India’s high food-borne illness rate, with 600 million annual infections linked to food contamination. Measures such as mandatory CCTV installations and owner identification displays at food establishments are intended to bolster hygiene and reassure consumers. However, opposition leaders argue these laws may exacerbate religious polarization and deflect attention from pressing national issues like unemployment and inflation.
Critics, including legal experts, call for better enforcement of existing food safety regulations, citing the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 as adequate for addressing contamination. They argue that new laws should be carefully examined to avoid misuse and ensure that food safety regulations serve the public without deepening societal divides.