Context: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the ‘Food Street Project’ to develop 100 healthy and hygienic food streets across the country with senior officers of the Health Ministry and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
About the street food project
- The aim of this project is to encourage safe and healthy food practices among food businesses and community members, thus, reducing foodborne illnesses and improving overall health outcomes.
- To operationalize the food streets, the National Health Mission (NHM) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will provide assistance of Rs. 1 crore per food street as a pilot project to support 100 such food streets at different locations across the country.
- The grant will be routed under NHM, in the ratio of 60:40 or 90:10, with the condition that branding of these food streets will be done as per FSSAI guidelines.
- Financial assistance would be provided for activities such as the provision of safe drinking water, hand washing, toilet facilities, tiled flooring of common areas, appropriate liquid & solid waste disposal, provision of dustbins, using billboards, façade preparation and signage of permanent nature, common storage space, lighting, specialized carts for a specific type of trades, branding etc.
- The initiative will be implemented through NHM in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), apart from FSSAI’s technical support.
- The technical assistance will include assistance in designing food streets, preparation of an SOP and providing training under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) protocol.
