In an interesting development, the Sattvik Council of India launched its certification programme for F&B outlets, including food stalls at hawker centres in Singapore.
Dr Nunung Rusmiati, Chairperson, Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA), on stage with Abhishek Biswas, Founder of Sattvik Certifications and Secretary General of Sattvik Council of India, announced the launch of the programme in Jakarta on October 12.
Singapore and Indonesia are both considered primarily non-vegetarian-friendly countries.
Indian tourists, especially those coming to Singapore from what are considered vegetarian states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, or Haryana, find it difficult to select outlets to eat at without worrying about how the food is being prepared, whether separate woks and ladles are being used for making vegetarian food and so on.
Sattvik certifications of outlets will assure consumers that the outlets are indeed vegetarian and vegan. Sattvik Certification Singapore will be responsible for training and appointing auditors who will conduct stringent audits of the outlets before the outlets are appropriately certified.
Venkataraman Kumar, Director, Sattvik Certification Singapore, added, "We are proud to introduce Sattvik Certifications Singapore Pte. Ltd. for positive change in the Food and Lifestyle industry. Our journey begins with a steadfast dedication to pushing boundaries, exceeding expectations and creating a vegetarian-friendly and vegan-friendly environment for its allied adherents. Through a fusion of Indian Vedic norms and modern industry norms, we aim to set new standards and create lasting value for vegetarian and vegan consumers."
As per the Sattvik Council, certification also provides an opportunity to generate additional income as auditors.
