In Thailand, restaurants and street vendors can easily be found along the streets in not only the tourist areas but also in any community in Bangkok and all other provinces. One reason is that today more and more Thais do not cook at home anymore. Smaller families of only two or three and for some, fast-pace city life with less time to spare make cooking a task to avoid. By four or five in the evening, street vendors are ready at their stalls with varieties of already cooked foods to be chosen by customers on their way home. Thousands of tourists to Thailand each year also find this way of life intriguing. The food looks great, the taste is superb, and the price is cheap. The only question left is safety.
Since 1989, Department of Health of the Ministry of Public Health together with Tourism Authority of Thailand and Ministry of Interior who is responsible for all local governments in provinces around the country have joined hands in a project aiming at assuring the good sanitation of all restaurants and street vendors in Thailand. The "Clean Food Good Taste" Project directly benefits the people of Thailand while also reassures tourists that food in Thailand is safe as well as looks and tastes good. Until now, 5,377 restaurants (of 11,731 applied) and 3,045 vendors (of 6,843 applied) have passed the criteria and been awarded the Clean Food Good Taste logo to be displayed at their businesses. Thirty percents of the awardees is randomly chosen and assessed twice a year. If good sanitation is not found, the award and logo will be revoked.
The success of the Clean Food Good Taste Project is due to four great strategies used: partnerships and co-ownership, quality assurance, sustainability, and public awareness and involvement.