Neel AcharyDec, 22: Ahead of Petuk Somabesh 2025, Sunrise Swasthya Pradesh, under its CSR initiative Umang, successfully conducted a FoSTaC programme for 100 street food vendors in Agartala today. The programme is a part of brand’s on-going CSR efforts to strengthen food sanitation practices at the grassroots level by enabling street vendors to adopt safer and compliant food-handling methods.
The one-day training session was attended by Shri Dipak Majumder, Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation and Shri Sushanta Deb, MLA, 16 Bishalagarh as chief guests among several other dignitaries. The event was held ahead of Tripura’s popular food and cultural festival, Petuk Somabesh 2025, with the focus on educating the vendors setting up food stalls at the festival. By providing training to the participating vendors among others, Sunrise took the onus of ensuring that food served at the festival adheres to hygiene and safety standards. The interactive session helped translate the food safety guidelines into practical, everyday actions that vendors and caterers can implement at their stalls – not just during the festival but also in the long term.
Aligned with FSSAI’s FoSTaC framework, the trainings key modules covered personal hygiene, sanitation, safe food handling, waste management and regulatory compliance. The session also featured live demonstrations, distribution of food safety kits, and on-ground audits to reinforce learning at the point of food preparation.
Commenting on the event, Shri Dipak Majumder, Mayor, Agartala Municipal Corporation said,
“Street food vendors are an integral part of Agartala’s food culture and local economy. Programmes like this FoSTaC training is a great way to help vendors adopt better hygiene and safety practices, which benefits both vendors and consumers. Such collaborations are essential to making large public events safer and more organised.”
Shri Sushanta Deb, MLA, 16 Bishalagarh added,
“Petuk Somabesh is a celebration of Tripura’s rich culinary and cultural heritage. Initiatives like Sunrise UMANG is a significant step towards strengthening the street food ecosystem by creating awareness around food safety and hygiene. Training vendors ahead of the festival is a welcome step that supports public health.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Piyush Mishra, Business Head, ITC Spices said,
“Large community food festivals bring together people, flavours and traditions, and it is essential that food safety remains at the heart of this experience. Through the Umang FoSTaC Basic Catering Training program, we are strengthening food safety practices on-ground by offering food handlers the right training, skills and certification. Our collaborative approach with local authorities, vendors and caterers is designed to create long-term meaningful improvements in everyday practices.”
Beyond community-level interventions, Umang also focuses on street food vendors, Hawkers, Cooks and caterers, extending specialised FoSTaC training to strengthen food safety practices for out of home food consumption. The initiative directly engages them, addresses their concerns, and delivers skill-building sessions aligned with FSSAI guidelines. Participants undergo assessments post-training, and successful candidates receive FoSTaC certification, enhancing professional credibility while building consumer trust.
Following successful implementations in other cities, the Agartala launch marks another milestone in Sunrise Swasthya Pradesh’s commitment to promoting food safety, public health awareness and sustainable livelihoods across communities.
