Why is it in the News?

With food poisoning and diarrhea becoming a common occurrence, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is working towards creating a network of 34 microbiology labs across the country that will be equipped to test food products for 10 pathogens, including E coli, salmonella, and listeria.

About the Initiative:

• To address the growing concern of microbial contamination in food products, a network of 34 advanced microbiology laboratories has been established across the country.
• These state-of-the-art facilities are specifically designed to test and monitor a wide range of food products for the presence of harmful pathogens, including E. coli, salmonella, and listeria, among others.
• The nationwide initiative aims to strengthen the existing food safety framework by enhancing the early detection and prevention of foodborne illnesses.
  • By analyzing food samples collected during routine surveillance, the labs will play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety and quality of consumable goods.
• With a focus on safeguarding public health and well-being, this collaborative effort will contribute significantly to the overall improvement of food security and foster greater confidence in the food industry.
  • As the network continues to expand and evolve, it will undoubtedly become an essential asset in the ongoing battle against foodborne pathogens and contamination.

Need for the Initiative:

• India has witnessed a surge in food poisoning and diarrhea cases in recent years, emphasizing the critical need for improved food safety measures.
• According to data from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), over 1,100 outbreaks of acute diarrhoeal disease and around 550 incidents of food poisoning occurred within the last four years.
  • These troubling statistics underscore the urgency to address this pressing public health issue.
• State food safety laboratories, responsible for ensuring the safety of consumable products, currently lack the necessary resources and infrastructure to effectively identify and mitigate the presence of dangerous pathogens.
  • The complexities of maintaining live reference samples, the high costs of reagents, and the requisite expertise of microbiologists pose significant challenges in maintaining optimal food safety standards.
• Consequently, the establishment of a comprehensive microbiology lab network becomes crucial in effectively addressing the growing threat of foodborne illnesses.
  • By enhancing testing capabilities and promoting early detection, this initiative will ultimately contribute to a safer food supply, improved public health outcomes, and increased consumer confidence in the food industry.

About the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):

• As an autonomous body under India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the FSSAI was established in 2006 under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
  • This act serves as a consolidating statute focusing on food safety and regulation in India.
• The FSSAI's mission is to set global standards for food, encourage adherence to these standards, promote good manufacturing and hygiene practices, and enable citizens' access to safe and nutritious food.

Key functions include:

• • Protecting public health by regulating and supervising food safety.
  • Setting standards and guidelines for food articles.
  • Issuing licenses, registrations, and accreditations for food businesses.
  • Controlling food imports to prevent harmful ingredients.
  • Accrediting food testing laboratories nationwide.
  • Overseeing food certification in India, including accreditation of certification systems and food safety management systems for food businesses.
• Through these efforts, the FSSAI plays a vital role in maintaining high food safety standards and safeguarding the well-being of India's citizens.

Why in the News?

Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published the State Food Safety Index in which 15 out of 20 states recorded lower 2023 scores compared to 2019.

About the State Food Safety Index:

• Since 2019, FSSAI has released the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) each year on June 7 on the occasion of World Food Safety Day.
• SFSI scores are given out of a total of 100 points that are calculated based on five parameters with different weightages:
• Human Resources and Institutional Data
• Compliance
• Food Testing Infrastructure
• Training and Capacity Building
• Consumer Empowerment.
• In the 2023 index, a new parameter called ‘Improvement in SFSI Rank’ was added, which assesses improvement in each state’s rank from the year before.
• The primary goal of this index is to ensure that citizens have access to safe and nutritious food.
• This index is a dynamic and comprehensive system that offers an objective way to assess food safety across all states and UTs.
• States and UTs are categorized into three groups: large states, small states, and UTs, for evaluation and comparison.

Key findings from the report:

• 19 out of 20 large states — including Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh — recorded a drop in their 2023 scores from 2019.
• The most substantial drop was observed in the 'Food Testing Infrastructure' category, with states like Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh receiving lower scores in this aspect.
• Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand also had reduced scores in the 'Compliance' category.
• In the 2023 index, the 'Human Resources and Institutional Data' category was given the third-highest importance, accounting for 18% of the evaluation (it was 20% in previous years).
• The only category that showed notable improvement was 'Training and Capacity Building,' which was given the least importance, 8%, in the 2023 index (compared to 10% in previous years).