The Bureau of Indian Standards -BIS has finalized an Indian Standard on basic requirements for street food vendors as food safety is a major concern with street foods. According to an official release, this was disclosed by Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Prof. K.V Thomas in Mumbai yesterday.

He said that street food sector has shown phenomenal growth recently. He said, it is readily accessible and affordable to urban population and this sector is also a source of livelihood for a large number of people. He said that the standard developed by BIS has immense potential to safeguard public health and also promote the confidence of the consumer over the entire spectrum of food industry.

Prof Thomas said that the three Indian Standards recently formulated by BIS, Indian Standards on Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Hygienic Practices and Food Retail Management are also important in this respect as they are envisaged to act as foundations of Food Safety Management System.