The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Training in hygiene for roadside food vendors

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 07, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Training in hygiene for roadside food vendors

Staff Reporter

Corporation to follow Women's Christian College modules

TOWARDS GOOD HEALTH: Mayor M. Subramanian interacts with street food vendors at the launch of a training programme on food safety on Friday. Gomathy Shivaji, programme coordinator (right) and Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni (second from left) , are also in the picture.

Chennai: The Chennai Corporation will offer training in hygiene for roadside food vendors, Mayor M. Subramanian said on Sunday.

"There are thousands of such vendors in the city and we want safe food served," the Mayor said at the launch of a training programme for them at the Women's Christian College (WCC) here.

The Corporation would follow the modules used by the WCC to train about 60 vendors in Nungambakkam and Besant Nagar. The Home Science department of the WCC had started teaching vendors the importance of cleanliness while preparing and handling food. The training would be held over a period of 10 months.

Good patronage

The Mayor said people flock to roadside stalls for the affordability and taste of food just off the stove. "I too enjoy going to small eateries. I know which mess caters the tastiest food in various towns of Tamil Nadu," he said.

The wide patronage received by street food joints has prompted the Health Ministry to offer training in hygiene for groups of vendors in 16 cities. The WCC has been chosen as the training centre in Chennai.

Resource persons from the WCC will encourage vendors to wear a cap, cut their nails short, keep hands clean and use unadulterated oil and raw material to cook. The Corporation will replicate the training for street vendors across the city.

Street food zones

Gomathy Shivaji, food safety programme coordinator in Chennai, called for street food zones that had access to facilities such as safe drinking water. These must be created in areas away from toilets and free of stagnant water.

The Mayor said he would discuss the idea with Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni and S.P. Gupta, national coordinator for street food safety, also participated.

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