IFFI: first batch of certified food vendors to cater to crowds

PANAJI: Goa’s street food vendors could be sporting a smart, new look this IFFI 2016. About 40 food vendors will be attractively turned out in stylish uniforms with matching apron, caps and wearing gloves while preparing and serving food.

The well-groomed vendors, who are a far cry from the usual scruffy looks of a gaddo owner, will be trained in hygiene and sanitation and will be displaying on their carts a certificate of safe food practices issued by the FDA office.

Serve Safe Food@ Street Food, a food safety and hygiene training and certification programme for street food vendors kicked off at the FDA office in Bambolim on Wednesday and the new avatar of local food vendors is courtesy the programme. All the registered and unregistered street food vendors of the state are due for training with a completion time schedule of end-January 2017. There are an estimated 500 registered vendors currently while unregistered are likely to be in the 150 range.

Salim Veljee, director of FDA, said that certified and trained vendors during an international event of IFFI will send out a message that Goa is safe place for street food. “Participation is voluntary and FDA will not be playing the role of a regulator and force vendors to train,” he said, while appealing to all vendors present to be a part of the initiative.

Project ‘Serve Safe Food@ Street Food’ is an initiative of by the central government viz. FSSAI and Goa is the first state where it is launched as a pilot scheme. It will be gradually extended to other states, said Veljee. MNC food company, Nestle India, is supporting the project in the state as part of its CSR activities together with Delhi-based National Association of Street Food Vendors of India (NASVI).

Sanjay Khajuria, senior vice president, corporate affairs, Nestle India, said that street food is the tastiest but fear of getting ill is always in the mind while eating it. “Goa as a tourist state should aim in becoming like Thailand or some of the South East Asian countries where you can close your eyes and eat street food,” he said. About 90 per cent of illness can be avoided with clean food and water, added, Khajuria.

NASVI has sent six trainers to educate street food vendors on safe and hygienic food. Arbind Singh, national co-ordinator, NASVI, said that the programme is an opportunity for street food vendors to change and they must grab the chance and learn preparation and handling of food in a hygienic manner. NASVI is launched an app in Delhi giving the names of food cart operators and the app would also be launched in the state.

The national organisation of street vendors is planning to hold a street food festival around January-February on the lines of similar festival in Delhi. “Street food melts in the mouth, is popular and everyone loves it,” said Singh.