Maharashtra FDA chief urges zoning and licensing to safeguard street-food vendors and public health
Tukaram Mundhe, Maharashtra’s FDA commissioner, says street-food safety can improve through designated vending zones and stricter licensing without harming vendors’ livelihoods.
In an interview, Tukaram Mundhe, commissioner of the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, outlined a plan to make street food safer while preserving the sector’s economic role. He argued that higher hygiene standards need not eliminate informal vendors, but require designated vending zones where sanitary conditions can be ensured, citing examples such as Chowpatty and railway stations. Local authorities would identify and allocate these spaces, and the FDA would enforce food-safety regulations through licensing, inspections and sampling.
A phased transition would move existing vendors into approved areas, with consistent enforcement against unauthorized stalls. Mundhe emphasized that the approach aims to protect public health, maintain pedestrian access, and provide vendors with dignified, sustainable livelihoods.
Why it matters
It proposes a practical framework for Indian cities to protect consumers while sustaining the vital street-food economy.
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