Enforcement of food safety standards to be intensified in Odisha

Report by Pratap Pradhan; Bhubaneswar: Implementation of Food Safety Standards will be intensified in the State. The legal and executive issues  relating to the matter was discussed in a high level meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik in Secretariat conference hall today wherein Pr. Secretary Health & Family Welfare P.K.Mohapatra outlined different issues for discussion.

Deliberations made in the meeting reveal that implementation of Food Safety Standards will be governed as per the Food Safety and Standard Act,2006 which envisages developing an effective enforcement machinery to ensure safety in sale and consumption of food. The New Act has integrated 8 different Acts and Orders like Prevention of Food Adulation Act, 1954,  Fruit Products Order, 1958, Meat Food Products, 1973 ,Vegetable Oil Products (control) order, 1947, Edible Oil Packaging (regulation) Order 1988, Solvent Extracted Oil Deoilded Maal, and Edible Flour (control) order, 1967,  Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992 and Other Orders relating to food under Essential Commodities Act, 1955. In the meanwhile Food Safety & Standards Authority of India has also started functioning as a regulatory body under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Previously the food standards were being enforced by several authorities. Now it will be enforced under single authority. The act will be enforced in the State under Food Safety Commissioner who will be assisted by designated officers and food safety officers. It has been proposed to have one food safety Appellate Tribunal, accredited laboratories and referral laboratories in the State. Chief Secretary Sri Patnaik has directed the department to develop proactive self compliance machinery which will check the standards through application of science & technology.

Presently Director of Public Health has been designated as Commissioner of Food Safety. The existing Food Inspectors have been designated as Food Safety Officers. 12 new posts have been created.  It has been decided in the meeting that there will be 38 Food Safety Officers in the state out of whom  30 will be posted at district level each district with one and  8  Officers will be posted in Urban Local Bodies. It has been proposed to declare the Additional District Magistrates of all districts as Adjudicating Officers.

Discussions in the meeting reveal that all food dealing business units having annual turnover of more than 12 lakhs will have to avail license; and, the shops having less than 12 lakh turn over will have to be registered.  Food Safety Commissioner –cum-Director Public Health Dr B.K.Panda has told that the business units who have license under Food Adulteration Act will have to renew their license under FSS Act within 4th February, 2012. This renewal will be done at district level. The  ADMO, Public Health of the respective districts have been designated for the purpose. No shop can carry on food business without valid license or registration.  Chief Secretary has advised to facilitate the process of the registration by making provisions for registrations in Common Service Centers.

It has been decided that the steering committee at the State level will be constituted under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary and the District Committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of respective Collectors. At the District level the District Medical Officer will function as the member Conveyer. It has also been decided that 5 Cluster Food Testing Laboratories will be set up in the State.  Each cluster will cover 4 to 5 districts. Mobile Food testing laboratory will be set up to cover remote area, large public congregations and disease outbreak areas. Chief Secretary has advised to develop the clusters in urban areas like Berhampur, Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Rourkela. Chief Secretary Sri Patnaik has also advised to involve PRI Institutions in implementation of the Act with technical support from primary health centers. It has been decided in the meeting that collected license and registration fees will be used for awareness generation and grievance redressesal activities.

Multimedia campaigns will be under taken to generate awareness among common masses and stakeholders about the new food law, institutions created for implementation, provisions relating to licensing and registration etc. Chief Secretary Sri Patnaik has advised to specify and prescribe the safety standards to be followed by the food dealing business units. Chief Secretary has also advised to train and engage accredited activists at field level to inspect the food dealing shops on incentive basis. The Director, Public Health, Dr. B.K. Panda along with other senior officers participated in discussions.