[1]In the wake of the recent raids on hotels and the discovery of stale and unhygienic food being sold, the Kochi Corporation is planning to launch 50 mobile food courts in the city, the first of their kind in the state.
The food courts will be set up next month using Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) funds, said Mayor Tony Chammany.
The mayor was delivering the inaugural address during a workshop on food safety organized by the South India Hotels and Restaurants’ Association at Ernakulam Town Hall on Monday. The mayor disclosed that the corporation would soon chalk out a policy to bring wayside eateries under the licensing system.
“Mobile food courts will be launched as part of the corporation's campaign 'Street Food, Safe Food'. Licensing will be made mandatory for wayside eateries. No street food vendors will be allowed to function without a licence," the mayor said.
The health standing committee will formulate the policy for the new licensing system, which will be discussed and passed by the council.
“We need a transparent policy regarding food safety as any wrong message about food quality will badly hit the burgeoning tourism industry, one of the major revenue earners for the state,” Mr. Chammany added.
Stressing the need to have a sustainable programme to ensure food safety, the mayor opined that awareness creation and a joint effort of various stakeholders could bring about more qualitative changes in the industry. This would be more effective than merely enforcing regulations.
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