Why are Bengaluru street vendors welcoming the Union govt’s FSSAI reform, yet remain worried?

Bengaluru: The Union government’s decision to ease food safety compliance for street food vendors has been welcomed by vendors in Bengaluru, but many say the reform will have little practical impact unless the city first resolves long-pending issues around identity cards and vendor committees.

On Friday, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) approved regulatory changes allowing street food vendors registered with municipal bodies or town vending committees to operate without a separate FSSAI licence. Vendors registered under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 will be treated as “deemed registered” under food safety regulations.

The move, announced by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is expected to benefit over 10 lakh vendors nationwide by reducing paperwork and eliminating the need for multiple registrations.

However, street vendors say the reform may not translate into relief on the ground.

“The reform is welcome because it reduces compliance burden,” said S Babu, president of the Federation of Bengaluru District Street Vendors Association. “But it assumes that vendors are already recognised by the local authorities. In Bengaluru, that basic step itself has not happened.”

In Frazer town, a food cart vendor Jabbar said the announcement sounded promising, but the reality in the city remained unchanged. “It is good that the government is reducing licences and paperwork,” he said. “But what is the use if we don’t even have the basic ID cards from the city authorities? Without those, we are still treated as illegal.”

Another concern is the absence of a functioning Town Vending Committee, the statutory body responsible for identifying vendors, issuing vending certificates and regulating vending zones under the 2014 Act.

Vendor associations say the previous committee’s tenure ended in 2020 and a fresh elected body has yet to be constituted. Without a functioning committee, vendors argue, several safeguards promised under the law remain on paper.

‘Welcome move’

Meanwhile, Advocate Vinay Sreenivasa, a member of the street vendors’ unions, said the reform was a positive step because it reduced overlapping regulations and allowed food vending to be regulated more locally.

“It’s good that they said it’s not necessary for street vendors to take FSSAI license,” he told DH. “If any changes in rules are required, it becomes easier for us to engage with the municipality. Food and such issues should ideally be regulated locally.”

He added that different cities and states often have different realities when it comes to street food.

“Regulation of food should not always come from Delhi. Rajasthan might have certain conditions, Tamil Nadu might have others for urban street food. Why should someone sitting in Delhi decide the rules for everyone?” he said.

Sreenivasa also noted that the move eliminates unnecessary duplication of regulatory oversight.

“There is actually no need for double regulation in this sector. FSSAI may say one thing and the city municipality may say something else. Removing that overlap is a good policy decision,” he said.