The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Branch Office Visakhapatnam organized the Eat Right Mela (ERM). This event is the first in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The Walkathon was from 10 am to 5 pm. The Walkathon had seen active and enthusiastic participation from the general public and aimed to create awareness of eating right and healthy.

The Walkathon, witnessed the participation of over a thousand people, was flagged off by the Honorable Mayor of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Smt. Other Dignitaries present during the flagging off are Dr G Lakshmisha, IAS, Commissioner, GVMC, Shri. P Muthumaran, Director FSSAI Southern Region, Dr K JagadeeshwariDirector, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Vijayawada, Shri. Vijay Kumar Commandant, Unit Commander CISF Unit Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Shri K S Viswanathan, IASJoint Collector & Additional District Magistrate, and Ms K Vijayalakshmi, District Medical and Health Officer.

There were expert talks by Ms PadminiAdalla, a fitness trainer, and Ms Surya Deepthi, Senior Consultant Nutritionist at Starlite Nutrition Centre, who spoke about the importance of fitness in maintaining good health and the need for a balanced diet which is low on salt and sugar. The honourable Mayor, GVMC, applauded the efforts taken by the FSSAI to propagate the message of eating safe, healthy and sustainable among the people of Visakapatnam through the medium of a walkathon and mela, which is innovative and, at the same time, practical.

FSSAI organized the Mela to celebrate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of India's independence and the glorious history of its people and cultural achievements. Through these programmes, it is envisaged to propagate the message of eating safe, healthy and sustainable for a healthy and prosperous India. The ERM had twenty stalls from eminent Food Business Operators, State Government agencies and NGOs showcasing the local ethnic cuisine and other healthy recipes.