Trimmed fingernails, gloves, aprons and headgear for the vendor and clean vending carts and containers with separate cloths for wiping hands and cleaning surfaces are some norms set in food safety and standards regulations, which have been backed by the high court.
Formulated by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India in 2011, the rules were revived by the court earlier this week while hearing a challenge to public notices issued by the corporations for regulating sale of cut fruits and sugarcane juice by street vendors.
“After going through the various Acts and regulations (on food safety and street vendors), we are of the view that the public notices issued by the municipal corporations of Delhi need not be in place in view of the fact that specific provisions have been made with respect to maintenance of safety and hygiene of food. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and its officers are fully empowered to ensure street vendors follow the prescription of law,” a division bench of Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul had noted in the hearing held on Wednesday.