In partnership with the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), Delhi State Food Safety Department, NDMC, IGNCA (Ministry of Culture) and Tasting India Symposium, FSSAI is organizing the ‘First National Eat Right Mela’ on 14-16th December, 2018 at IGNCA, India Gate, New Delhi.
Recognizing that food is an essential part of our lives, health and wellbeing and that disease and death due to unsafe food and poor diets exceeds that from TB, Malaria and HIV/AIDs taken together, FSSAI had launched the ‘Eat Right India’ movement earlier this year.
This movement is aimed at mass mobilization for both supply-side and demand-side interventions to change the way India eats.
In his statement on the occasion, Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI pointed out that ‘many of us are not mindful of what, when and how we eat. In order to ensure that people eat safe and eat healthy, mass mobilization is needed.’
He noted that ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra is perhaps world’s largest and longest public outreach programme of its kind that is engaging and exciting people in the remotest parts of the country on safe food and healthy diets.’
He expressed gratitude to States, NCC, NSS, Scouts and Guides, food businesses, professional associations and consumer organizations for their active participation.
“This is our respectful tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, on the occasion of the 150th year of his birth anniversary, who believed that real change only happens through mass mobilization”, he added.
Apart from ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’, FSSAI has launched the ‘Eat Right Creativity Challenge’ to engage young and creative people in making posters, wall art and digital creative(s) and the ‘Eat Right Awards’ to recognise and reward food businesses that demonstrate their commitment to the movement.
Recognizing that street food vending is an important part of the country’s food system, the first National Eat Right Mela is being held along with the established and well-known ‘Street Food Festival’ organized by NASVI for over a decade.
Arbind Singh, National Coordinator of NASVI, emphasized, “In the past 10 years, NASVI’s street food festival has blossomed into a sustainable signature event of Delhi. It has successfully brought people together from all walks of life under a single roof to celebrate the diversity and flavours of Indian street food showcased by around 500 street food vendors from all parts of the country.”
This three-day Mela would provide a complete food experience for the entire family; an opportunity to know everything one needs to know about safe food and healthy diets, including quick tests for adulterants, health and nutrition benefits of different types of food, dietary advice by experts and more.
Sourish Bhattacharyya and Sanjoo Malhotra, Founder Directors, Tasting India Symposium remarked “We believe that the Eat Right Movement of the FSSAI is a public health intervention model that the world can learn a lot from. We are grateful to both the FSSAI and the Nordic Food Policy Lab for coming together for a unique knowledge-sharing workshop, whose outcome, we hope, will benefit the peoples of India as well as the Nordic nations.”
Pawan Agarwal also pointed out that “While this mela is the first of its kind, this is expected to become an annual event and would get bigger and better each year. It is also expected to be replicated in at least 40 major cities including state capitals across the country through State governments”.
This Mela would become a one-stop-shop for people to know about safe, healthy and local foods, and enjoy the rich culinary heritage of our country.