Nestlé India has launched Project Serve Safe Food in Nepal in partnership with the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control Nepal, the Nepal Tourism Board and National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI). Approximately 500 street food vendors will be trained under this project on food safety and hygiene in Nepal. The project was first piloted in 2016 in India, where over a period of 4 years, 20,000 street food vendors were trained across 17 locations.

Project Serve Safe Food focuses on educating and training street food vendors on health, hygiene, safe food handling, waste disposal, and entrepreneurship. These trainings will equip the street food vendors to undertake measures such as usage of disposable gloves and personal hygiene that prevent the spread of food borne diseases.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Matina JoshiVaidhya, DG, Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, Nepal said, “Eating clean, safe and healthy food is of utmost importance for people. Our street food vendors play a very crucial role in safe delivery of food to consumers. Therefore empowering our street food vendors with knowledge and skills will go a long way in our commitment towards food safety.”

Deepak Joshi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board, said “Nepal is a popular tourist destination and street food vending is an important source of employment for the local population. The initiative undertaken by Nestlé India for up skilling street food vendors becomes very important in the wake of Visit Nepal 2020, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation for promoting tourism in the region. I am sure that Project Serve Safe Food will aid in developing and strengthening the food safety infrastructure in Nepal.’’

Hikmat Singh, Senior Director, Nepal Tourism Board, “Skilling our street food vendor is an important initiative that we will be undertaking in Nepal. This will enable the street food vendors to learn about food safety and hygiene. We are excited about Nestlé India, launching project serve safe food in Nepal.”

Sanjay Khajuria, Director - Corporate Affairs, Nestlé India said, “In line with Nestlé's purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future, we are delighted to launch Project Serve Safe Food in Nepal in collaboration with the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, Nepal Tourism Board and NASVI. We have seen that the training programs have brought about positive behavior change and encouraged our street food vendors to take food safety and food hygiene seriously. Clean and safe food, brings in more customers, improves the livelihood of the vendors, which in turn helps build confidence of the vendors in their business. I am hopeful, that Project Serve Safe Food in Nepal will play an important role in the capacity building of the street food vendor community.”

Sangeeta Singh, Head, Street Food Program, NASVI commented, “Increasing awareness about safe, healthy and hygienic food is of paramount importance. We have developed training materials, which will equip the street food vendors to improve food safety. We are excited about our partnership with all the stakeholders to meet this important objective.”