NEW YORK (Diya TV) — Arogya World announced Tuesday that it will train 10,000 street food vendors across India in healthier cooking practices over the next two years.
The nonprofit unveiled the initiative at the Clinton Global Initiative 2026 Annual Meeting in New York. The program will teach vendors to reduce salt, limit the repeated use of cooking oil, adopt healthier preparation methods and offer more balanced meals.
Arogya World will lead the training with the National Association of Street Vendors of India. NASVI will recruit vendors and conduct sessions in Mumbai, Bengaluru and other urban areas. Beyond Type 1 will provide financial support.
The partners will use visual, culturally appropriate materials designed for vendors with varying literacy levels. Assessments conducted before and after the sessions will measure changes in knowledge and cooking practices.
Arogya World said the initiative expands a 2024 pilot program. According to the organization, participants retained 80% to 85% of the program’s health messages and reduced their use of oil and salt. The nonprofit also reported that 98% of participating vendors had never received formal training on reducing salt or the risks of repeatedly reusing cooking oil. The findings have not undergone an independent peer review.
The program targets dietary risks associated with diabetes, hypertension and other noncommunicable diseases. A 2023 ICMR-INDIAB study estimated that 101 million people in India had diabetes and 136 million had prediabetes in 2021.
India’s Health Ministry estimates that noncommunicable diseases account for 63% of deaths in the country.
Arogya World estimates that India has about 10 million street food vendors. The organization said training vendors could extend nutrition education to customers who regularly rely on inexpensive street food.
