MCGM and FSSAI Collaborate to Boost Safety of Mumbai's Street Food

MCGM Commissioner Bhushan Varsha Ashok Gagrani chaired a meeting with FSSAI and FDA officials to enhance the safety of Mumbai's street food. The meeting outlined strategies for developing Healthy and Hygienic Food Streets, emphasizing vendor training and extensive food testing initiatives across the city.

Bhushan Varsha Ashok Gagrani, Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), recently chaired a meeting with officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The focus was on enhancing the safety of street food in Mumbai, officials announced on Friday.

The meeting, led by FSSAI CEO G Kamala Vardhana Rao, aimed to elevate Mumbai's street food to global safety and hygiene standards by developing Healthy and Hygienic Food Streets (HHFS). Representatives from Thane, Nagpur, Nasik, and Pune Municipal Corporations also participated in the discussions.

The deliberations covered the need for safe, healthy, and sustainable food sold by street vendors. Drawing parallels with the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' initiative, the orange color symbolizes safety, white represents health, and green stands for sustainability. Gagrani emphasized the importance of stringent training for vendors, which would ensure the widespread availability of safe street food, bolstering Mumbai's reputation as a street food hub.

FSSAI CEO Rao highlighted that the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) program equips food handlers with the latest knowledge in food safety and hygiene. The program is being scaled up nationwide to include a large number of trained street food vendors in Mumbai. The August 13 meeting also included KH Govindraj, Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department (UDD), and Pritee Chaudhary, Regional Director of FSSAI West Region. Strategies for extensive training and awareness programs in Mumbai were discussed.

Responding to queries about street food vendor registration, Rao explained that it is part of the FoSTaC programme. He assured the deployment of additional mobile food testing vans, 'Food Safety on Wheels' (FSWs), which will give consumers easy access to tested food items. The FSWs provide test results on the spot and will reach all markets in Mumbai, similar to their deployment in Delhi.

(With inputs from agencies.)