Mandatory QR Licenses Installed for Food Vendors During Kanwar Yatra by Uttar Pradesh Government
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced updated and stringent food safety measures for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra, set to begin on July 11, 2025. These measures aim to ensure the health and safety of pilgrims by combining digital technology with rigorous physical inspections.
Key measures include the mandatory use of QR-code-based licenses for all food vendors along the Yatra route. Pilgrims can scan these codes to instantly verify the vendor's hygiene license, ownership details, food safety registration, and compliance status. This transparency allows devotees to check if the vendor is approved and to report unsafe practices directly via the Food Safety Connect App.
Health officials will conduct continuous, daily inspections of food stalls, roadside vendors, and community kitchens (bhandaras) along the route. They will sample food daily and have the authority to take immediate action against vendors violating food safety norms.
Food joints must also display their owner’s name, contact information, license or registration number, a list of food items, and prices. This ensures informed choices for pilgrims and prevents overcharging.
Any lapse in hygiene enforcement will prompt disciplinary action against officials and fines up to ₹2 lakh for non-compliant vendors under the Food Safety Act, 2006. Vendors must also display photo ID along with licenses to ensure accountability.
Special directives have been issued for voluntary community kitchens (bhandaras), where free food is served, to ensure sanitary conditions.
Many of the food safety protocols initiated during last year's Kanwar Yatra are being reinstated for this year. Mobile food testing labs are being deployed during the Yatra, and waste disposal drives are being carried out as part of the food safety protocols.
The government is maintaining the ban on meat and egg sales along the Yatra route to preserve religious sanctity. The FSDA is working in collaboration with district officials, police, and civic bodies for the food safety measures during the Kanwar Yatra.
The integration of QR codes aims to increase transparency and accountability in food safety, giving devotees a direct channel to raise concerns about violations. The Kanwar Yatra, with its millions of participants, is under a new food safety protocol that reflects a comprehensive effort by the Uttar Pradesh government to prioritise both faith and public safety.
- The government's food safety measures for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra extended to health-and-wellness as well, with the implementation of mandatory QR-code-based licenses for all food vendors along the route.
- In the realm of lifestyle, digital technology is being utilized to enhance food safety during the Yatra, enabling pilgrims to instantly verify vendor details and report unsafe practices using the Food Safety Connect App.
- To uphold the sanitary standards in the food-and-drink sector during the Kanwar Yatra, special directives have been issued for voluntary community kitchens (bhandaras), ensuring they adhere to prescribed health and science-backed food safety protocols.
