CSR: Teaching Hygiene To Street Food Vendors
Street food vending is integral part of every culture in the world. In India, street food represents a whole different cuisine, energy and vigor. It is almost as good as a festival or a religion. The Annual turnover of the street food industry in Mumbai has been noted as INR 1590 crores according to a study conducted by Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
Street food is treated as evening snacking options for many people in India. And for many it is also their sustenance. The hygiene measures however, for the food that is being consumed by millions of people on daily basis, are not up to the mark.
The street food vendors tend to cook in the open without covering the ingredients often exposing the food to pollution and flies. They do not wear gloves or cover their head. They stand for long hours in front of a flame, resulting in constant perspiring. They do not wash their hands often but even if they did, there is no guarantee that the water they use is not contaminated. These things happen because most of the vendors are ignorant. And this ignorance is the cause of spreading of diseases like food poisoning, gastronomical disorders, cholera, typhoid and so on.
In order to improve the situation in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has inaugurated the Project ‘Serve Safe Food’, by Nestlé India in collaboration with Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Maharashtra and NASVI. The program will train the street food vendors in the state through a mobile van on important and critical subjects like health, hygiene, safe food handling, waste disposal and entrepreneurship with the support of the FDA Maharashtra.
“If we can make street food vendors aware of the importance of food safety and hygiene it will lead to a brighter future for them. This initiative is a great way to not only ensure healthy food for consumers but also enable street food vendors to sustain better livelihoods,” said the Chief Minister.
With government making rigorous efforts and corporates taking interest in improving the quality of food available on the street, eating out will be healthy again. And by improving the standard of living and quality of life of these vendors, the street food situation will become a win-win for all.
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The CSR Journal Team
