The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will create a network of food banking partners to collect and distribute leftover food from large parties and weddings to the hungry.
A notification to create a separate category of food business operators (FBOs), who will be licensed to deal only with leftover food, has been set to ensure the quality of food.
“Collecting food going waste to feed the hungry is a noble thought but to transport, store and maintain the cold chain of cooked food is a huge challenge. The logistics are a nightmare, which is why we don’t handle leftovers and only distribute uncooked food that can be cooked locally,” said Kuldip Nar, founder of Delhi NCR Food Bank, which has been feeding the poor in 10 cities since 2011.
The organisations in the business of collecting leftover food will now have to work in collaboration with FSSAI so their efforts can be scaled up.
The initiative will set up a helpline network where organisations can call in for collection but reaching individuals who want to directly donate food will take time.
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