Roadside eateries to come under food safety licence regime

Bengaluru: Roadside eateries will soon be brought under the mandatory FSSAI licensing by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Karnataka.

Most roadside eateries were evading the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which mandates FSSAI licence for all establishments selling edible items. Now, FSSAI plans to hold a survey and bring them under the licence regime.

“The law mandates that eateries should obtain a licence, no matter how small they are. This applies even to food carts. The process was not followed and now we want to bring them into the (licence) net,” Food Safety Commissioner Srinivas K told DH.

Officials are now running awareness campaigns and Information Education Communication (IEC) activities to get more roadside eateries to register with them and follow the legally mandated food safety and standards.

Hoteliers in Bengaluru also felt the need to monitor roadside eateries since they fail to follow hygiene standards.

“We have brought this to the government’s notice,” said PC Rao, president, Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association (BBHA). “Lack of hygiene in these eateries causes outbreak of cholera and dengue in the city. We are not against these eateries, but we want them to be regulated.”

The move follows complaints to the authorities about the quality of food in roadside eateries. While hotels and restaurants must obtain both a trade licence from the BBMP and an FSSAI licence to provide food, similar requirements do not apply to roadside food vendors since they fall under the street vendors’ category.