Food Safety In Informal Markets

Informal markets have high food safety risks. Food of animal origin and freshly produced food constitute the highest risk. Under its Eat Right India movement, FSSAI has created an ecosystem of training and certification, third-party audits, and hygiene ratings of informal markets covering street food clusters, fruit, and vegetable markets, and other clusters. An ecosystem of private partners has been developed for the purpose.

Currently, 260 Districts and 109 cities are actively participating in the Eat Right movement. 85 street food hubs, 74 fruit, and vegetable markets, and 80 railway stations have been certified to date. About 28,000 restaurants, hotels, sweet shops, bakeries, meat shops, and 800 temples have been hygiene rated. Over 1660 workplaces, hospitals, educational institutions, Jails, Tea Estates, and Police Stations have also been certified as Eat Right Campus.

The foundation would work towards expanding the reach of these initiatives by engaging with implementation, CSR partners, and the state food administration.