New Delhi, August 18, 2023. Nestlé India has partnered with the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA), Jharkhand, and the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) to extend the reach of Project 'Serve Safe Food' in the state. Training over 1500 vendors across Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Deoghar, and Chas Bokaro, the initiative aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of street food vendors on food hygiene and safety.
Building upon the success of training over 1000 vendors in Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, and West Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand in 2022, this expansion furthers the project's impact. Since its inception in 2016, 'Serve Safe Food' has positively impacted over 41,000 street food vendors in 25 states and Union Territories. The initiative imparts crucial knowledge about hygiene, safe food handling, waste disposal, and COVID-19 safety measures, even incorporating digital payment modules post-pandemic.
Mr. Arbind Singh, National Coordinator, NASVI said, “We aim to empower street food vendors across India by enabling them to enter strategic employment opportunities by training them on food hygiene and safety. Project Serve Safe Food has helped several thousand street food vendors across the country and with the expansion of the Project in Jharkhand, we hope to improve the livelihoods of more street food vendors in the state.’’
Mr. Sanjay Khajuria, Head, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Nestlé India further added, “At Nestlé India, we are committed to improving the food safety environment in India by going beyond the quality and safety of our own products. Project Serve Safe Food empowers street food vendors by upgrading their skills through relevant trainings on hygiene and food safety practices. This helps to improve their awareness on the importance of raising the standards for food safety and hygiene.’’
Nestlé India introduced Project 'Serve Safe Food' in 2016, reaching vendors across various regions including Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. This collaboration continues to make strides in ensuring safe and hygienic street food for all.
