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The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, has now designed a Smart Cart to empower the street food vendors to produce safe and hygienic foods. It has been designed as a novel and energy-efficient solar-powered modular street vending card.
“In a survey conducted by the Association of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR) students last year, it was observed that the carts used by street vendors were inadequate in infrastructure and ergonomics. This is where our institute intervened by designing and developing a new mobile cart with features which ensure better hygiene, improved food safety, ease of operations and unique aesthetics,” stated Ram Rajasekharan, director, CSIR-CFTRI.
For the institute, the effort to design the Smart Cart is to help the street vendors have quality mobile infrastructure to deliver hygienic street food. It can be adopted pan-India and can be used for street food vending preparation.
“Giving more strength to the Swatch Bharat Mission, our Smart Cart adds to the solutions to the solutions for advanced hygiene in the street food arena. The cart which is about four feet wide and six feet long with a modular design makes it easier to cook, hold and serve the food,” he added.
The cart also comes with a built-in system to hold a gas cylinder and a dustbin. The array and design of the units in the Smart Cart can be realigned as desired by the end-user without changing its core features on food safety, operational and energy efficiency.
“The Smart Cart also includes a restaurant-grade kitchen made with stainless steel, an on-board refrigerator, a food warmer and a sink with separate tanks for fresh and waste water system, helping to create a better culinary experience for consumers,” he added.
“Further, the eco-friendly, self-sufficient Smart Cart has a solar panel on its rooftop and stores energy in its battery. The system is powered with a 1,500-VA inverter system to support the energy needed for about six hours,” said Rajasekharan.
“The solar panel is sensitive to absorb even low light. This provides a cost-free, pollution-free source of electrical energy for the operations. The cart also has ease of mobility on wheels and an option for towing,” he added.