Street food competition organized in Thailand

BANGKOK, March 6 (TNA) - The government-run Government Savings Bank (GSB) organizes a street food competition for interested street food traders across Thailand, aimed to upgrade the quality of life of the traders and their families, as well as the country's street food business to be more recognized internationally. GSB President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chatchai Payuhanaveechai announced the "GSB Street Food" nationwide competition in Bangkok on March 5 under the theme of “4D Street Food Upgrade”. Chatchai told journalists that the competition, widely opened for interested traders of ready-for-consumption food and beverage products countrywide, is in line with a government policy on empowering the domestic grassroots sector towards the Thailand 4.0 stage through, among others, the upgrade of the street food business sector with internationally-recognized public health standards and 4Ds. According to the GSB president and CEO, the 4Ds criteria include the food and beverage products themselves, covering selected materials, ingredients and recipes, as well as the adoption of innovations and relevant technologies for their outstanding cuisine, the creative designs of their food and beverage products and the application of emerging but practical marketing techniques. "The GSB Street Food nationwide competition will be on air on every Sunday in the 'Reality Street Food' program on the 'True4U 24' TV digital channel from 12:30hrs to 13:30hrs (Thailand time), sponsored by not only GSB, but also the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), the National Food Institute (NFI) and the Creative Economy Agency (CEA)", the GSB president and CEO said. The GSB president and CEO also stated that competitors must be traders of street food or beverages, aged 20 years old up, who are Thai nationals of all genders, including those running street food houses, booths, stalls, pushcarts, vans and trucks, as well as vendors, with the top winner to be rewarded with an over 2 million baht-cash prize. The GSB president and CEO revealed that the application period for all qualified traders of food and beverage products nationwide is set during March 15-April 15, 2019, with detailed information also available online on the GSB Facebook page, www.facebook.com/gsbstreetfoodtv. The Thai government-run GSB has, meanwhile, become a major funding source for nationwide traders of food and beverage products for 16 years through its "people's bank" project. (TNA)