The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a large-scale training initiative for street food vendors in East Delhi under its flagship Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) programme. Organised on February 23, 2026, the session trained approximately 550 vendors on critical food safety principles, personal hygiene, and sanitary vending practices. The programme aims to formalise the unorganised food sector by integrating safety standards with broader government support schemes like PM SVANidhi and digital payments through UPI. By providing practical guidance on waste management and safe water usage, FSSAI is operationalizing a grassroots food safety ecosystem designed to safeguard consumer health while empowering the local vendor economy.
Key Pillars of the FoSTaC Training Framework
Technical Safety Standards: Training vendors on hygienic food handling, the use of safe water, and maintaining a sanitary vending environment to prevent foodborne illnesses.
Personal Hygiene Mandates: Emphasising the role of the individual vendor in the safety chain through structured sessions on personal cleanliness and health standards.
Waste and Environment Management: Providing practical insights into effective waste disposal and the maintenance of clean surroundings at vending sites.
Digital and Financial Integration: Encouraging the adoption of UPI for transparent transactions and leveraging PM SVANidhi for business expansion and financial resilience.
Formalisation of the Unorganised Sector: Utilizing structured training and awareness to transition street vending into a regulated, capacity-strengthened component of the national food system.
Grassroots Accountability: Promoting the principle that food safety is a "shared responsibility," requiring active participation from vendors, regulators, and local municipal bodies.
Policy Relevance
Operationalizing Consumer Protection: The FoSTaC programme serves as a primary tool for extending FSSAI’s regulatory reach into the unorganised sector, ensuring that safety is not compromised by the scale of the operation.
Bypassing Economic Fragility: By linking food safety training with social security schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the government is creating a safety net for vendors that supports long-term business stability.
Mechanical Link to Urban Infrastructure: The involvement of local authorities (e.g., Deputy Commissioner, Shahdara South Zone) ensures that food safety training is aligned with municipal sanitation and waste management efforts.
Sovereign Commitment to Wholesome Food: The nationwide scale of these efforts reflects a strategic shift toward proactive capacity building, moving away from purely punitive enforcement in the street food sector.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How should Municipal Corporations utilize FoSTaC certification as a prerequisite for issuing or renewing street vending licenses to ensure 100% safety compliance?
Follow the full press release here: FSSAI: Street Food Vendor Training Programme
