FSSAI-Yes Bank to work for preserving India's food heritage

Looking to preserve India's rich food heritage, regulator FSSAI today said it is creating an archive of recipes and plans to take other initiatives such as setting up hubs and organising food festivals.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is also considering recognising and promoting famous food streets across the country provided they conform to certain food safety and hygiene norms, its CEO Pawan Agarwal told reporters here.
FSSAI, along with Yes Bank's Yes Global Institute, today held a conference with various stakeholders, including government bodies, industry, celebrity chefs, food historians, columnists and bloggers.
"Local Indian food is among the best and most diverse in the world and there is a real need to promote and savour our rich culinary heritage, irrespective of any physical boundaries," Agarwal said.

Preeti Sinha of Yes Global Institute said it is working on projects to promote Indian culture and now the focus would also be on preserving the country's rich culinary heritage.
FSSAI wants to create a systematic framework for preservation and promotion of India's culinary heritage and food culture.

"We are developing a repository of Indian food cuisine. 200 recipes have been added so far in the repository," he said, adding that a dedicated online portal 'FOODCAST' will be designed to disseminate these recipes and also guide people on which food to eat and when.
Agarwal said the plan is to create hubs and recognise famous food streets, besides organising national food festivals and trails.

These initiatives are part of its objective to promote food safety and hygiene as well as provide wholesome food in the country, the regulator added.