Street Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance in Emerging Urban India: A critical review of FSSAI implementation, vendor practices and public health implications

Abstract

Street food is an intrinsic part of urban food culture in India, offering nutritious and affordable meals to millions. But its rampant proliferation in the context of urbanization is raising severe public health concerns, especially in terms of food safety and hygiene. This review comes critically to understand the existing scenario of food safety in emerging urban India, with special reference to FSSAI regulation implementation, vendor compliance operations, and public health implications in general. The review summarizes existing literature, policies, and empirical evidence to evaluate the efficacy of FSSAI operations such as licensing, training under the Food Safety Training and Certification program, and creation of Food Safety Display Boards (FSDB). It critiques gaps in regulatory implementation, vendor unawareness, infrastructural lacunas, and socio-economic factors acting as barriers to compliance. In addition, the incidence of foodborne illness associated with unsafe street food is discussed to highlight the necessity for integrated, community-centric interventions to facilitate safer food culture. The paper ends with proposals for strengthening regulation, vendor education, and collaborative models involving local bodies, health agencies, and civil society organizations to bring about safer street food in urban India.