The recent hospitalization of students from Kerala on a holiday trip to Goa due to suspected food poisoning at a Baga restaurant, shows the lapses on food safety and it underscores the persistent problem of unsafe food practices in one of India’s premier tourist hubs. Yet it is seen some restaurants, cafes and street vendors keep their surroundings unclean with flies flying on the tables inside hotels, dirty flooring, uncovered vegetables, lacking pest control as well as sanitary cards. FDA should have system, regular checks on food outlets, hotels. Grocery shops, Bakeries, vegetable, fish, etc. Unhygienic food practices in Goa are not new, despite the state’s global popularity as a tourist destination. The illicit and unsafe food establishments continue to mushroom, aided by systemic lapses, including corrupt local bodies, lack of enforcement, and administrative apathy. Many street vendors are unaware that they need a licence from FSSAI. The law mandates that eateries should obtain a licence, no matter how small they are. This applies even to food carts.
