Street vendors learn hygiene tips ahead of Hornbill Festival

DIMAPUR — A food safety and hygiene training programme for street food vendors was conducted at the Directorate of Tourism, Kohima, on Friday.

The programme was organised by the Department of Tourism, in collaboration with the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), with support from Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC) and Nestlé India, as part of preparations for the upcoming Hornbill Festival, a DIPR report stated.

Commissioner & Secretary of Health & Family Welfare, Anoop Khinchi, the guest of honour for the event, emphasised the need for strict hygiene practices at all levels.

He stressed that vendors must maintain personal cleanliness, ensure hygienic food preparation, keep their stalls and surrounding areas clean, and practice proper waste disposal. He also noted that food safety should become a sustained practice and not be limited only to the festival period.

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Commissioner & Secretary of Tourism, Dr. Zasekuolie Chusi, described the training as timely and essential, and acknowledged the contribution of Nestlé India in supporting the initiative.

Highlighting the scale and visibility of the Hornbill Festival, he urged vendors to remain disciplined, efficient and professional while serving visitors from across the country and abroad.

Chusi also reminded vendors to strictly comply with government regulations and adhere to the notified food rates in the interest of public safety.

Director of Tourism, Veyielo Doulo, said that street food vendors play a vital role in shaping visitors’ impressions of the state and act as frontline representatives of Nagaland.

He pointed out that the festival offers a major platform for vendors to promote indigenous food traditions and noted that government support to vendors is aimed at strengthening local entrepreneurship and livelihoods.

Giving an overview of the training, branch head of Corporate Affairs, Nestlé India, Surojit Mukherjee, said that the programme was specifically tailored for vendors who will be operating stalls during the Hornbill Festival.

He explained that the initiative aims to strengthen safe food handling, hygiene practices and service standards, enabling vendors to deliver a safe and high-quality culinary experience to visitors.

The second session, conducted under Nestlé India’s CSR initiative ‘Project serve safe food,’ focused on building long-term capacity among street food vendors. The session covered critical areas including personal and cart hygiene, food handling and safety, cleaning and pest control, waste management, COVID-19 safety protocols and the use of digital payment systems.

On completion of the training, participants were issued FoSTaC certificates through the FSSAI platform.

The programme was implemented as a CSR initiative of Nestlé India with the support of the Food Safety department and the Department of Tourism, to strengthen food safety standards and enhance the overall visitor experience during the Hornbill Festival.