TIRUCHY: In the wake of the state principal secretary for food safety and drug administration on November 15 reiterating a 2011 order mandating an FSSAI licence for all food business operators, including single-cart vendors and those distributing free food, food safety officials in Tiruchy are gearing up to intensify checks, raise awareness and ensure visible display of the certificate on every cart.
Though the rule has existed for more than a decade, officials admit compliance remains low in Tiruchy, where they said the boom in stalls and carts selling items like sweet corn, grilled chicken, momos and soup, and ice cream bikes has outpaced routine inspection capacity.
Several of them are run by college students and young adults, who as solo street-food entrepreneurs take to Instagram reels, vlogging and WhatsApp promotions to build a loyal customer base.
On the FSSAI licence, a senior food safety official told TNIE, “Registration is completely free and vendors can obtain it online or through e-seva centres. The certificate, however, must be printed and pasted on the vending cart.” While this has transformed city neighbourhoods such as KK Nagar, Ponnagar, Cantonment and Srirangam into food clusters, officials say basic hygiene practices remain inconsistent, posing risks to the public.
To bridge the compliance gap, the district is preparing to conduct its second mega street food licensing and food safety training and certification (FoSTaC) camp, targeting around 1,500 vendors compared to 550 a year ago. Data collection across the city is under way.
Officials said the FoSTaC course, which usually costs hawkers Rs 1,500, will be encouraged alongside licensing so vendors understand safe food handling, water quality, utensil cleaning and waste management. “This is not a new rule. We are only reiterating what has always been mandated. Action will be taken against unlicensed units after our awareness drive,” an official said.