Walkathon sensitises vendors, consumers on food safety

Use of healthy fats and oils, home ground spices, clean water and other such useful tips were doled out to street food vendors at the Safe Food Walkathon here on Sunday to ensure hygienic food for consumers.

"We have trained 1,000 street food vendors in Kolkata Metropolitan Corporation area and 450 in sector 5 in Salt Lake," S. Maitra, a co-ordinator of the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), told IANS.

"The walkathons are part of a series of campaigns launched towards sensitising target sectors such as the vendors, consumers and industry on their roles, rights, importance of hygienic practices and steps to prevent food-borne illnesses," Maitra said.

Four stalls serving popular snacks like 'kachori', 'puri' and 'chaat' were put up to demonstrate food safety at the walkathon, a part of the Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan.

Vendors also participated in a street drama and sensitised audiences at the event organised by the Confederation of India Industry (CII) in collaboration with Cargill India, NASVI and consumer body VOICE.

Safe Food Walkathons were held in New Delhi and Lucknow earlier this year and will be followed by five more, including one at Bengaluru on December 20 and another at Jamshedpur on January 10.