Scan before you snack: QR codes will track street food hygiene in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: Buying panipuri or vada pav from a street vendor will soon come with a quick quality check. A Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) order has directed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to convert its “food safety data into a publicly accessible tool”. The civic body has been directed to ensure that street food vendors display QR codes that customers can scan to verify registrations and report hygiene violations.

The move is part of a wider transparency push covering hospitals, helplines and public health services. Remarkably, the reforms stem from a single RTI application filed last year.

AMC launched a digital system that requires each vendor to scan an AMC-issued QR code that captures their precise GPS location, ensuring their exact place of business is logged into the municipal database for effective monitoring. Afterwards, the vendor completes the process by filling out a simple online form with their name, mobile number, business name, address, and ward details. Upon submission, the system generates a PDF certificate containing a unique QR code, which vendors are required to print and display prominently at their stalls where it is easily visible to the public. Citizens scanning these codes can “instantly submit feedback or hygiene ratings based on the cleanliness and safety of the food stall”.

According to AMC, more than 8,700 street food vendors in the city have registered on the system. According to the GIC’s findings, the AMC has already affixed QR-code stickers on about 7,200 street food carts, including around 1,700 panipuri vendors.

The June 5 directions to “convert public health data into a tool for citizen empowerment” were issued by State Information Commissioner Nikhil Bhatt while hearing a second appeal filed by RTI applicant Kirankumar Nayak. Nayak had initially sought information from the AMC in June 2025 regarding public health protocols and citizen services, alleging “opacity on public health protocols and citizen services”. Unsatisfied with the response, he approached the GIC in Aug 2025.

The commission’s intervention went beyond street food regulation. During the hearing, officials conducted a live test of the state’s 104 food safety helpline, only to find that a complaint could not be registered successfully.

Taking note of the failure, the commissioner directed the health and family welfare department to rectify deficiencies in the helpline system within 30 days and ensure that complaint mechanisms are “professional and responsive”.

In the order, Bhatt also underlined the importance of strengthening public health systems. The GIC directed the AMC to digitise hospital records using Ayushman Bharat health account cards and make doctor schedules and citizen charters visible at all urban health centres. Bhatt framed the urgency in pointed terms, noting that “the state’s reputation for public health and hospitality will be on display” as Gujarat prepares to host major international events.

To embed long-term accountability, the commission directed the AMC to publish all statistical data online to support a ‘Jan Jagruti’ — public awareness — campaign.