Street food vendors ignorant of food safety, hygiene: Survey

New Delhi, Oct 4 (UNI) Majority of street food vendors are not aware of basic hygiene and food safety issues resulting in many food borne disease, according to the National Report on Street Food Survey.

Releasing the report here, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said that the government would soon launch a pilot project to train street food vendors so that they could ensure safe and hygienic food to people.

Stating that street food has become a way of life with people increasingly using the high value, low cost and easily available street food, Dr Ramadoss said that they lack the food safety norms which the government would take steps to ensure by providing them training and establishing regulatory mechanism for quality and food safety.

The mechanism could be formed by the collaboration of police, municipalities and associations of the street vendors so that quality of street food was maintained without harassing vendors.

Pointing out that the survey has found even railway canteens not adhering to basic hygiene issues, Dr Ramadoss said that he would take up the issue with Railway Minister personally.

The survey, conducted by the GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pant Nagar in collaboration with 16 Home Science Colleges in 16 cities, covered over 1500 food shacks, fast food joints, restaurants and railway canteens. The survey has been partly funded by the World Bank and was conducted under the five year long Capacity Building Project in the sphere of Food and Drug quality and safety was launched in October 2003 at a total cost of Rs 356 crore.

The survey highlighted widespread ignorance among the street food sellers who avoid employing trained manpower as they dont want to pay more. It gave recommendations to create greater awareness of food safety and hygiene in the small, cottage and unorganised sectors including the street food sector through training.

UNI AJ SY KN2023