INDIA – The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has for the first time organized a training for India’s street food vendors in the interest of public health.
Training will be given to street vendors in the west zone, covering Gandhinagar, Malleshwaram, Rajajinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Govindarajanagar and Chamarajpet Assembly segments.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stated that the move is in the interest of public health, and to ensure that quality ingredients are used, and food is sold in a hygienic manner. This is as per the new guidelines of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). The training will be given as per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Those without the FSSAI certification will not be allowed to vend, the release said.
The vendors will be trained on FSSAI standards and receive certification as a prerequisite to carrying out their daily operations.
The BBMP has called on street vendors coming under different assembly segments of West zone who are interested in the training to register by February 19.
S. Babu, President of Bengaluru Urban District Street Vendors’ Federation said the decision to have training for street food vendors was taken by the zonal Town Vending Committees (TVC),
The 2014 Act termed The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, provides for the constitution of Town Vending Committees (TVCs) that look into the matters of the street vendors.
It provides for constitution of a TVC under each local authority and if needed in each wards or zone under the local authority. A TVC is not a tripartite council.
In the first phase of the pilot program, the TVC members of West zone were trained. In the second phase, street food vendors are being trained.
West zone is the first among eight zones in the BBMP to organize the training programmes for the street vendors.
“Soon, other zones are likely to follow suit. Except for Bommanahalli, all other zones have TVCs. The elections to the TVC of Bommanahalli zone will have to be held soon, as per the order of the Karnataka High Court,” said Babu.
He noted that while the ultimatums set by the FSSAI are stringent for street food vendors, it is a good move as it is in the interest of public health.
According to the FSSAI regulations, the street vendors will now be mandated to display their FSSAI license/Registration number in their carts. The Food Safety Display Boards (FSDBs) present information about the hygiene practices that are being followed by the vendor.
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