Bhubaneswar: Throwing caution to the winds, people have started crowding street food vendors in the city again.
Amid the pandemic, are the vendors adhering to the safety and hygienic standards? Doctors said eating cold and uncovered food increased exposure of people to the coronavirus.
All street food vendors will soon get online lessons on maintaining hygienic standards of food.
The initiative is part of The Eat Right Movement of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, said a Bhubaneswar Municipal Commission officer.
City health officer, BMC, B K Mishra said, “Under the programme, all street food vendors will be taught about ensuring safety and hygienic standards of food. Even restaurants and fruit vendors will be covered under this programme in phases as their needs differ.”
People are seen crowding vendors without maintaining social distancing norms and consuming food which is cold and exposed to the elements.
“Most street vendors are not conscious about selling hygienic food. So it is very risky to eat such food as the cases of coronaviurus are showing a rising trend. Most city vendors do not possess hygiene certificate from the civic body,” said Krutibas Parida, medicine specialist.
“Due to staff crunch, checking food safety of vendors is not 100%. There is scope for further improvement,” admitted the city health officer.
Under the Eat Right Movement, experts and agencies that have expertise in measuring food safety standards will be roped in to impart classes to the vendors.
Medicine specialist Bijay Mishra said, “Maintaining food safety is a big issue, particularly during a pandemic. Street vendors do not maintain even minimum hygiene, let alone maintaining heightened hygiene in the wake of coronavirus.” To improve public health in India and combat negative nutritional trends to fight lifestyle diseases, FSSAI launched ‘The Eat Right Movement in 2018.