?Activists criticise Coca-Cola's involvement in 'Clean Street Food' campaign

Criticising the move by India's food regulator to join hands with Coca-Cola to teach street vendors about hygiene, a green body said the contract should be cancelled as it was against the country's interests.

Vandana Shiva, Founder, 'Navdanya' under Mahila Anna Swaraj Network, said, "First, we as citizens of India have the right to know on what basis this contract was allotted to Coca-Cola. Given their past record how did this corporation be given the contract?"

She alleged that given Coca-Cola's track record of pollution, contamination, water theft, food un-safety, and blatant transgression of Indian environmental laws, it does not qualify to teach Indians about food safety.

Shiva said, "We know this is an egregious step taken under corporate pressure by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Far from bringing food safety, this will ruin the diversity of India's street foods and will victimise the honest small street vendors of India, who for generations have been giving us taste and health."

Food regulator FSSAI recently tied up with Coca-Cola India to train 50,000 street food vendors over the next three years and plans to rope in other players like ITC and Mondelez under its 'Clean Street Food' campaign.