As a first of its kind initiative, Food on Wheels, an enterprise that serves tasty food ensuring cleanliness and hygiene, in electric vehicles fixed with mobile kitchen is being launched in Kerala. As part of National Urban Livelihoods Programme (NULM), the new initiative is implemented at the Kalamassery Municipality of Kerala. Three units of ‘food on wheel’ kitchen which comprises of 5 women per unit will start their business at Kalamasseri (Ernakulam District). These 15 members were selected and were given sufficient training, which included capacity building in driving, cooking, customer management and in food service. After training certificate was issued, each unit took Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence.
Each unit had availed a bank loan of Rs.9.50 lakhs for starting these ‘food on wheel’ enterprises. Using this amount, specially designed autos were purchased. Solar panel and modern technology kitchen which has high tech features were fixed on to this auto. Tasty food would be cooked and preserved in this kitchen. Enterprises in the ‘food on wheel’ Rickshaws named ‘Amma Ruchi’ will start it’s commercial activity by the second week of January 2020. ‘Food on wheel’ units will be parked at selected spots in Kalamassery Municipality without making any hindrance to the traffic. From one mother kitchen food materials including dosa batter would be taken to the three units for preparing the food on the spot.
Biriyani, fried rice and pothichoru would be cooked in the same manner at the mother kitchen and would be brought to these units for sale. These Amma Ruchi mobile kitchens would function based on this concept of mother kitchen and service unit. We hope that these eco friendly enterprises which would serve tasty food to the people without making any pollution would grow as a model in street vending. Other than serving food in the streets, the team is also all set to serve food for functions and events, depending on the orders. It is expected that the ‘Food on Wheels’, the project of Kalamassery Municipality as a part of Kudumbashree's NULM project will be accepted by the public wholeheartedly. We expect that our ‘food on wheels’ enterprise on electric autos fitted with solar energy supported stainless steel kitchen will bring smiles to the 15 families and will provide safe to eat food to customers at Kalamassery.
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