New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) In a bid to boost the safe food practices in the country, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has trained more than 3 lakh street street food vendors, the government informed the Parliament.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, stated the steps undertaken by the government to boost food safety standards in the country.

This includes the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) programme launched in 2017.

“This initiative offers training in food safety and standards for individuals engaged in street food business, whether as food business operators or employees,” Jadhav said.

“Under FoSTaC, a specialised awareness course titled “Street Food Vending” has been developed. Till now, more than 3 lakh street food vendors across the country have been trained through this programme,” the Minister added.

Further, he stated that the government enhances street food safety through rigorous inspections, awareness campaigns, and enforcement through the FSSAI.

“The FSSAI conducts regular surveillance, monitoring, inspection, and random sampling of food products to check compliance with the standards laid down under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Rules and Regulations,” Jadhav said.

In case the food samples are found to be non-conforming, penal action is initiated against the defaulting Food Business Operators as per provisions of the FSS Act.

Meanwhile, FSSAI is also carrying out a nationwide initiative, “Eat Right India movement” to ensure food safety and hygiene for all citizens.

Under this initiative, FSSAI has designed the Eat Right Street Food Hub certification programme to educate people about food safety and hygiene at Food Streets.

“There are 405 Eat Right Street Food Hubs certified under Eat Right India,” Jadhav said.

Further, to extend outreach for on-the-spot food testing and dissemination of food safety information in remote areas, FSSAI has also introduced Mobile Food Testing Laboratories (MFTLs) to all the States and UTs.

“FSSAI has deployed 305 MFTLs to 35 States/UTs across India to date,” the Minister said.

–IANS

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