Nestlé India, FDA Goa and NASVI to raise food safety awareness among street food vendors

Nestlé India, Food and Drugs Administration, Goa and National Association of Street Food Vendors of India (NASVI) have joined hands to begin training about 500 street vendors, expanding to about 1,000 in the coming months. The training of street vendors will be conducted by NASVI and will comprise subjects such as health, hygiene, food handling, waste disposal and entrepreneurship. The participants will also be certified at the end of the training.
Praising the initiative, Deputy Chief Minister & Minister for Health, Government of Goa, Adv. Francis De Souza, said, “It is an occasion of great pride to be associated with the event that the Directorate of Food & Drugs Administration, Goa is organizing. As a part of the 10 @ 10 initiatives, the State FDA has taken the movement forward to launch the training of the food street vendors under the “Project Serve Safe Food @ Street Food” on 2nd November 2016 involving the CSR participation of Nestle India Limited in co-ordination with National Association of Street Food Vendors of India (NASVI). Goa is the first State to adopt the 10 @ 10 initiatives launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, to commemorate the completion of a decade of the enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. I wish all the stakeholders engaged in this project success.”
Highlighting this further, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary (Health), Government of Goa, Sudhir Mahajan, said, “As a way forward in this 10 @ 10 initiative, it is encouraging to learn that hands-on practical training to around 500 street food vendors will be conducted with the support and active participation of Nestle India and NASVI. I wish the State FDA as well as their associate Corporate CSR Partners all the success in this exercise.”
Director, Food & Drugs Administration, Commissioner, Food Safety, Goa, Salim A Veljee, said, “The Goa State FDA realises the tremendous scope available to uplift the overall quality of food available in the State, especially when the State is internationally identified as one of the best tourist destinations. Post the Master Trainer Training Program on 23rd October 2016 to selected identified volunteers and officials to assume the responsibility of imparting training to all the beneficiaries engaged in the food business, the State FDA is now in position to launch the formal training to around 500 street food vendors. This unique private public partnership with Nestlé India will provide the necessary impetus both in terms of capacity building as well as perception and confidence in the minds of the consumers. I am confident that with this joint collective initiative the State shall be in position to declare itself as another destination for safe food to the consumers.”
Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Nestlé India, Sanjay Khajuria, further added, “Ensuring clean, wholesome and hygienic food for the public is of utmost importance today. We are happy to partner with NASVI and FDA, Government of Goa in training over 500 street food vendors in Goa and extend it to 1,000 in the coming months. We would sincerely like to thank Deputy Chief Minister & Minister for Health, Government of Goa, Adv. Francis De Souza, and IAS, Commissioner and Secretary (Health), Government of Goa, Shri Sudhir Mahajan, for their encouragement and Director, Food & Drugs Administration, Commissioner, Food Safety, Goa, Salim A Veljee, for participating in the event and motivating all the attendees. This is our first step in this direction and we hope to expand the programme in the future. We hope the training will encourage the micro and small food business operators to use the knowledge shared during the training in their everyday business.”
While Street Food Vending is an important source of employment for a large number of population, a variety of constraints including lack of knowledge and skills in business, limited training opportunities, and restricted mobility have prevented street vendors from improving their capacities to sustain their livelihoods and enter into strategic employment opportunities in new market conditions.
Elaborating on this further, National Coordinator at NASVI, Arbind Singh, said “Goa being an attractive tourist destination of India, this project will add to the fame of Goa by enabling the food vendors to serve hygienic food. It would thus serve to increase the variety available in the platter for tourists and residents while increasing the income of street food vendors. ”