Coca Cola To Train Vendors In Pune On Food Safety

Pune street food vendors are about to learn all about food safety and hygiene and to train them Coca-Cola India has launched a pilot project along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra according to FnB News.

Project Clean Street Food

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Coca-Cola had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last year that aimed to train 50,000 street food vendors throughout the country in next three years. This is a part of the project – Clean Street Food. Taking forward the initiative FDA Maharashtra and Coca-Cola is all set to train 1200 street food vendors in the city of Pune this month.

The focus of the training, as reported by FnB News, will be food safety and nutritious food which will further help them improve the quality of the food that they serve and in the long run, increase their earnings. Coca Cola will take up the responsibility of the execution of the programme using its network of trainers and the available infrastructure and the FDA’s role will be to keep a check on the relevance of the programme and what it delivers.

The street food vendors will also be certified by the FDA on completion of the food safety training programme. Girish Bapat, minister for food, civil supplies and consumer protection, food and drug administration and parliamentary affairs, government of Maharashtra said at an event, “Street food vendors form an integral part of our society and reflect the local food culture. While they offer nutritious and affordable food to consumers, it would be highly beneficial for them to upgrade their knowledge of food safety standards and rules of hygiene.”

Commenting of the programme he said, “This joint initiative between FDA and Coca-Cola India is a positive step towards promoting safe and nutritious food while eating out.” The commissioner of FDA Maharashtra, Pallavi Darade talked about the pilot and said, “Under this programme launched jointly with Coca-Cola India, we have selected Pune as the first city to launch the pilot initiative due to its vibrant and diverse food culture. Our collaboration with Coca-Cola India will help us in sensitising street vendors on practising good hygiene and maintain cleanliness to create a good eating out experience for consumers.”