FSSAI report: Bihar ranks lowest in ensuring food safety

PATNA: Bihar ranked the lowest among the large states in ensuring food safety in 2020-21, according to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) report released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday. The overall score of the state was 35 whereas Gujarat topped with 75 points.

The third edition of the State Food Safety Index ranked the states on five parameters of food safety, which included human resources and institutional data (20% weightage), compliance (30%), food testing facility (20%), training and capacity building (10%) and consumer empowerment (20%). The ranking is an effort of the Union government to galvanize the states to work towards ensuring safe food for citizens.

The state has secured only 5 points each in human resources and institutional data and food testing facility, 2 in training and capacity building, 11 in compliance and 12 in consumer empowerment. The separate teams of experts for food testing and food & nutrition professionals, in addition to FSSAI officials, conducted the assessment and evaluation in each category. The teams examined the details received and also interacted with the states/UTs through web meetings.

Mukesh Kashyap, the food safety inspector of Bihar, told this newspaper on Tuesday that there was an acute shortage of manpower in the state food safety unit. “There are only 14 food safety officers (FSO) in the state and some of them have to look after the maximum up to four districts at a time. Minimum two districts have been allotted to each of them for inspection to ensure the quality of food. Due to shortage of manpower, the overall marking was poor in food safety index,” he said.

“The shortage of manpower, however, will be resolved soon as we have already taken approval for 105 posts of FSOs from the state government and all the vacant posts will be filled within 3-4 months. Once this problem is resolved, we would work towards ensuring healthy foods to our residents through our daily inspections. As there is no separate state food safety commissioner, we also lag on several parameters. There is no full-fledged designated officer in food safety unit,” Kashyap said.