In its continued effort to help revive the restaurant industry and support small food businesses, KFC India announced the launch of the Bengaluru edition of its India Sahyog program. Hugely impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the repeated lockdowns thereon, small restaurants and local food joints are the worst hit, as they struggle to continue operations.
With an aim to handhold such businesses and help them overcome the impact of the pandemic, KFC India launched their India Sahyog program, in association with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).
The brand announced the launch of the Bengaluru edition with a pledge to support 100 small restaurants and local eateries in the city. The program overall aims to support 500 restaurants across the country by 2022, starting with Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad.
Speaking of the brand playing its part and extending a helping hand, Samir Menon, Managing Director, KFC India, said, “KFC’s India Sahyog program takes forward the brand’s global commitment to lend entrepreneurial support to small food business owners. As a leading QSR brand growing not only in India, but also with India, we view it as our responsibility to empower local businesses that form an integral part of the restaurant industry in India. Since the launch of the program, we have worked towards addressing key concerns faced by the industry as food safety & hygiene, profitability, enhancing food delivery operations & customer experience. Our aim is to extend these trainings and learnings to 500 local food businesses across the country thereby providing an impetus to the growth of the restaurant industry in India.”
Sharing her thoughts about the importance of food safety and KFC’s India Sahyog initiative, Smt. Leelavathy K, IAS Commissioner, Food Safety, Government of Karnataka said, “Our department’s responsibility in terms of food safety, refers to the safe handling of food so that illness and injury can both be prevented across the supply chain. We build safety frameworks into every aspect of the food production process – from the farm to the table – and ensure the mitigation of risks.”
“The recent health crisis caused by COVID-19 quickly turned into a financial downturn for many local food businesses, as there was a loss in customer confidence when it came to food safety. Therefore, KFC’s India Sahyog program comes at a very welcome time. I am happy to see that not only does it address issues around food safety but enables business resilience as well. I want to thank KFC India for this excellent initiative with local restaurants, and for assisting them in their hour of need.” , she added.
Being an integral partner in the program, Prakul Kumar, Secretary-General, NRAI, said, “As you all are aware, the pandemic has had an extremely negative impact on the industry- leading to businesses shutting down and massive job losses. Over the last year and a half, NRAI has been trying to provide relief to the industry. Helping us in this endeavour is KFC’s India Sahyog program that provides a holistic, solution-oriented approach to the problem.”
“It covers food safety aspects, business profitability training and enhancing customer experience – a multi-pronged approach that will help in reinstating consumer confidence for restaurants across the country. I think this program is a great opportunity for smaller restaurants to prepare for the new normal, and we wish KFC India every success in this program.”, he said.
The India Sahyog program entails specially framed training modules on several facets of the restaurant business. Formulated to assist participating restaurants in recovering their businesses, it encompasses training modules on Enhancing Sales and Customer Service, Food Safety, Hygiene, Improving Profitability, and Sanitation.
Participants would be given a certification by FSSAI, NRAI and KFC India upon finishing of the modules. In the past, KFC India has pioneered a street food vendor training program in association with FSSAI, training over 1500 street food vendors across 4 states on food safety parameters. In addition, the brand also undertook a Food Safety Officers capability enhancement program along with the State Food Safety Authorities.
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