Is this the end of 'Delhi belly'? Capital to get eight 'safe zones' where street food vendors are trained in food hygiene

If you have been giving up your favourite roadside delicacies for fear of falling sick, we may have some delicious news for you.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is creating eight 'safe street food' zones in Delhi where food lovers can gorge on tikkis, golgappas and chaat without being worried about falling ill.

The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), which is working with FSSAI on the project, has pledged that the vendors in these zones will follow the best hygiene practices and food handling methods.

Hygiene push: A few vendors were sent to Singapore for the World Streetfood Congress in May this year to learn about the best food practices

NASVI is training nearly 2,000 vendors in these eight zones, following which the concept will be replicated in other parts of the capital. By December, all vendors serving safe food will also carry the stamp of NASVI to reassure consumers of its quality.

The association has already started the training process and is bringing together 500 vendors from across the city on October 21 for an elaborate workshop.

The eight zones - Nizammuddin, Chandni Chowk, Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, New Delhi Railway Station, Tilak Nagar and Krishna Nagar Jheel - have been taken up in the pilot project because of their popularity and high footfall.

In consultation with the government and food safety experts, NASVI has prepared elaborate guidelines to be followed by every vendor, which cover things as basic as not touching any part of the body while cooking and serving food, or specific techniques for food storage and handling.

"Vendors in these zones have been put together in groups for better cooperation and monitoring. We have appointed peer leaders for every area who would make sure that vendors follow the set standards. Their role will be crucial for the creation of such zones," said Arbind Singh, founder and coordinator, NASVI.

Any new vendor who sets up a shop in the area will be brought into the loop by these peer leaders.

The registration of street food vendors by the Delhi Government under the Food Safety and Standards Act is yet to be completed, as the food safety department did not have enough staff to carry out the process.

NASVI plans to professionalise the whole industry by bringing all stakeholders on board with its plans.

"The zones were identified in June this year and the training of street vendors has already begun. A few such vendors had also gone to Singapore for the World Streetfood Congress in May-June this year and learnt about the best practices. They will share them with other vendors at the training sessions," said Ranjit Abhigyan, programme coordinator, NASVI.

NASVI has already sent a detailed project report to FSSAI following a survey of the vendors. The association met 139 food sellers in the eight zones to discuss the issues they had and also their level of awareness.

The survey found that 127 admitted to scratching their body parts while cooking, all but one failed to wear aprons, and none of them used gloves while on the job. Most were unaware of the storage techniques for raw, cooked and leftover food.