New Delhi, 27 June: Most of the food establishments in Gujarat have got the certificate of cleanliness rating. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) certificates data released for the year 2021-22, Gujarat tops the list of food establishment’s cleanliness rating.
FSSAI has rated 16,059 food establishments in the country till March this year. In Gujarat, 4,340 restaurants, hotels have been given the certificate of cleanliness rating. The second place is followed by Tamil Nadu with 2,532 food joints rated, while Haryana is at the third position with 2,210 food establishments. Cleanliness rating has been given to 973 food establishments in Karnataka, 114 food joints in Kerala, 47 food establishments in Telangana.
An FSSAI official said that the FSSAI scientifically assesses the cleanliness of food establishments, such as restaurants, cafeterias, bakeries, sweet shops and meat retail outlets in India and issues certificates to them so that customers can easily choose restaurants and shops. An FSSAI’s score encourages businesses to ensure hygiene standards and also empowers consumers to make choices.
He said that the number of such food establishments getting the cleanliness rating certification is continuously increasing. This gradual increase indicates a growing awareness of the scheme.
According to the FSSAI, small food business operators (FBOs), such as dhabhas, food trucks and even mid-day meal kitchens, are being covered under the Swachhta Rating Scheme (HRS), which was first launched in December as a pilot project was started in Maharashtra in 2018, later launched across the country.
It is noteworthy that in the year 2020, 1,837 establishments were awarded the certificate, while in 2019 this figure was 867.
