Regulator to ensure clean street-food hubs
India’s top food regulator could soon certify popular street-food places, assuring quality for those in love with eating out but wary of hygiene.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of designating popular street-food localities across the country as clean street food hubs if they fulfill certain safety and hygiene criteria.
“Street food is popular and there are streets and clusters of shops in different states that are known for it. We are planning to ensure that the food served at these places is safe and hygienic,” said Pawan Agarwal, CEO of FSSAI.
At present, the food regulator is in the process of formulating guidelines for certification. “The parameters that we are considering include best practices for garbage disposal, maintaining personal hygiene, demarcating cooking and noncooking areas, working streetlights, pest control and overall cleanliness among others,” he said. Once the guidelines are formed, the regulator will write to states to get local authorities involved. “Many of the parameters go beyond FSSAI mandate so we will have to rope in various departments locally to see to it that the project is implemented successfully,” he added.
Eating unhygienic food , especially street food, can lead to serious health conditions.
“Eating contaminated food or water can lead to diarrhoea, typhoid, viral hepatitis or even cholera. We frequently get patients who get sick after eating street food or taking contaminated water,” said Dr MP Sharma, chairman of gastroenterology at Rockland Hospital.
Ensuring street food available in India is safe and hygienic has been on top of FSSAI’s agenda. It started Project Clean Street Food earlier this year that involved training and capacity building of street food vendors and ensured proper regulatory oversight under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
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