TTD Conducts Food Safety Training for Street Vendors and Hoteliers in Tirumala
Tirumala, June 2 (TNT): Stressing the need to provide safe and hygienic food to lakhs of visiting pilgrims, TTD Additional Executive Officer C. Venkaiah Chowdary on Tuesday urged all hoteliers and street food vendors in Tirumala to strictly adhere to food hygiene standards and regularly undergo food safety audits as per prescribed norms.
He was addressing the inaugural session of a three-day training programme for street food vendors, jointly organised by the TTD Health Department, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Nestlé India at the auditorium of the Sri Venkateswara Museum in Tirumala.
The programme is being conducted for 325 food establishments employing around 1,300 workers in the hill town.
Commending Nestlé India for extending support under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the Additional EO said the company had chosen Tirumala as the starting point for its food safety training programme in Andhra Pradesh, which was a welcome initiative.
Emphasising that the health and safety of devotees remain TTD’s top priority, Venkaiah Chowdary said adherence to hygienic food preparation and handling practices would significantly enhance the reputation of the spiritual destination.
“We are strictly implementing hygienic practices in Annaprasadam preparation. Private eateries in Tirumala should also scrupulously follow food safety and hygiene standards. Such training programmes should be conducted every six months to improve awareness and compliance among food handlers,” he said.
He further noted that the training should focus on statutory food safety requirements, practical demonstrations and safe food-handling techniques to help participants strengthen their day-to-day operational practices.
Later, the Additional EO distributed food safety kits comprising caps, gloves, aprons and soaps to the participants.
Deputy EO (Health) Soman Narayana, Health Officer Dr. Sudha Rani, Quality Manager Lakshmi Narayana Reddy, Nestlé India Corporate Affairs Manager Waseem Ahmed, health department officials, hoteliers, street food vendors and others attended the programme.
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