Key Update

The Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department has advised food influencers and vloggers to recommend only food businesses with a valid FSSAI licence. The department has also urged creators to assess hygiene, food handling, and sanitary practices—not just taste and presentation—before promoting restaurants or street food vendors.

Food Reviews Should Prioritise Food Safety

With social media playing a major role in influencing dining choices, the department said food reviews should help consumers make informed and safe decisions. It encouraged creators to verify whether an establishment holds a valid FSSAI licence and follows basic food safety and hygiene standards before featuring it in their content. The advisory also asks influencers to avoid promoting unlicensed or unhygienic food businesses and to refrain from publishing misleading promotional content for financial gain.

Influencers Welcome the Advisory

Several food vloggers have welcomed the move, saying it encourages more responsible content creation. They noted that food reviews should consider hygiene and food safety alongside taste, pricing, and presentation. Many also said highlighting clean kitchens and licensed food businesses can help consumers make safer dining choices while encouraging better compliance across the food industry.

Licensed Food Businesses Support the Move

Licensed food business operators also backed the advisory, saying it rewards businesses that invest in food safety rather than relying solely on marketing. They believe responsible reviews can build consumer confidence, promote fair competition, and encourage more food establishments to maintain high hygiene standards.

What the Department Has Advised

The Food Safety Department has asked influencers to:

• Verify that restaurants, street food vendors, and other food businesses have a valid FSSAI licence before recommending them.
• Consider hygiene, food handling, and kitchen cleanliness in addition to taste.
• Avoid promoting unlicensed or unhygienic food businesses.
• Refrain from publishing misleading or false promotional content for monetary gain.
• Encourage responsible food reviews that prioritise consumer health and safety.

The department has also warned that it may initiate legal action against creators who promote unsafe or unlicensed food establishments.

Why It Matters

Food influencers play an increasingly important role in shaping consumer choices. Encouraging them to verify licences and highlight food safety practices can help consumers make safer decisions while motivating food businesses to maintain compliance with food safety regulations.

Source: Times Entertainment