City anchor: Street eateries to get hygiene tips from BMC, FDA

The BMC on Tuesday announced a pilot initiative to promote sanitary processes in the making and selling of street food at various hawking zones in the city. This will be undertaken in collaboration with the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar told mediapersons that a meeting was held with FDA Commissioner Mahesh Zagade and Chief Secretary JK Banthia. “We have identified 55 khau galli spots in the city where a small team under the Executive Health Officer will undertake the task of training vendors in the use of sanitary methods,” said Mhaiskar. “We will focus on being hygienic while cooking, storing and handling food.”The BMC has targeted food hawkers near railways stations, colleges, large institutions and tourist spots and will begin the process next week. “We want to change public opinion that street food in Mumbai is unhealthy. We will train both licensed and unlicensed vendors. However, this does not mean that after the training unlicensed vendors will be regularised,” said Mhaiskar. The civic body said around 25-30 per cent of the city’s population eats street food daily at some point of the day. The corporation’s team, headed by the executive health officer will include deputy health officers, medical health officers and junior officers. By December-end, Mhaiskar said, in concurrence with the initiative, the corporation will hold a safe street food festival. Although the government legislated the Food Safety and Standards Act in 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Rules and Regulations pertaining to this were finally drafted in 2011. According to FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade, till date no street food vendor is in compliance with the norms set up since. “As per the regulations, all stall owners must be registered with the FDA. The rules mandate that there should be a running tap wherever food is being cooked. We will educate and train the vendors to use gloves while cooking, wear aprons and cover their heads. Even the ingredients should be bought from registered vendors so that if there is a problem there is accountability. So far compliance to these norms is nil,” said Zagade. He added that the initiative will also be introduced in other parts of the state such as Pune, Nashik and Nagpur.