SHILLONG: Nestlé India is in collaboration with Commissionerate of Food Safety Meghalaya, Shillong and National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) launched the project, “Serve Safe Food” in the state by Meghalaya by giving one-day training to 500 street food vendors.
Speaking to reporters at the launch of the programme, director Corporate Affairs, Nestle India, Sanjay Khajuria said Nestlé started in 2016 in Goa and has gone to over 12 locations in the country and Shillong is the 13th location.
Stating that the company wanted to start something new and go out with the venture, he said, “We will be training vendors in Shillong, Tura and Sohra to provide safe food and hygienic food to the customers. The focus is on vendors who sell food in major tourists’ spots. The vendors are selected by NASVI,” he said.
He added that the response of the vendors in other states have been positive as they received a feedback that the post the training the income of the vendors has increased and they have propagated safe food habit to their families and friends as well.
Khajururia informed that NASVI has created a WhatsApp group as a follow up on the training programme.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, A.L. Hek said to serve safe food depends on the attitude of the vendor.
“We must give clean cups, crockeries to customers and utensil should be kept clean, to attract customers. But then there are some who smoke and chew betel-nut while serving food to customers does not look appetizing,” he said.
With the training programme set to create a tone to serve better quality food to the customers, Hek added that vendors should not remain vendors but become industrialists.
Sangeeta Singh, Head, Street Food Programme, NASVI said training was an integral part of vending and they had so far trained 15,000 vendors to inculcate the practice of safe food habit and aimed to train other food vendors in other parts of the country.
At the programme, they unveil a mannequin as the ideal vendor.