TTD launches food safety training for eateries in Tirumala

Tirupati: In a major push to safeguard the health and well-being of millions of visiting pilgrims, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has commenced a comprehensive three-day training programme focused on food safety and hygiene for local eateries.Inaugurated at the SV Museum Auditorium on Tuesday, the initiative is a collaborative effort between the TTD health department, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and Nestle India, which is sponsoring the programme as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) wing.TTD additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary emphasised that pilgrim health and safety remain the administration’s topmost priority. He noted that while TTD maintains immaculate hygiene standards within its own Annaprasadam free-kitchen operations, private hoteliers and street food vendors must scrupulously match these efforts.To ensure sustained compliance and awareness, the additional EO mandated that this specialised training programme be conducted systematically every six months at Tirumala.The extensive training drive aims to cover 325 food establishments in the hill town, directly impacting approximately 1,300 food handlers. The curriculum bridges routine daily tasks with mandatory statutory regulations, combining theoretical guidelines with practical exercises to instil safe food-handling practices.Commending Nestle India for choosing Tirumala as its launchpad for this training initiative in Andhra Pradesh, Venkaiah Chowdary also distributed protective safety kits consisting of caps, gloves, aprons, and soaps to the participating vendors.