Centre plans to keep street food standard norms voluntary

The Centre will keep the standard on basic requirements for street food vendors voluntary in the begining, Union Food minister K V Thomas said here today.

"Initially the standards will be kept voluntary and later it can be made mandatory," Thomas said on the sidelines of a food safety seminar organised by the Bureau of Indian Standard. The national standards body, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), has finalised the basic requirements for street food vendors.

"This sector is also a source of livelihood for a large number of people. Hence, we want to regulate the sector and believe the standard developed by BIS has immense potential to safeguard public health," Thomas said. He said it should be implemented and regulated with the help of local authorities.