Food safety wing lacks staff

The understaffed Warangal zone’s food safety department is likely to get some respite under recently enacted The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which came into force in the state with effect from December 2011 in place of the old Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
Out of the official sanctioned strength of over 30 food safety officers (FSOs) in Warangal zone, comprising 6-8 each for Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts, the regional Food Safety department is presently being manned by only six FSOs.
Out of the six FSOs working in Warangal zone, Adilabad has only two FSOs followed by Karimnagar (1), Warangal (1) and Khammam (2).
The regional unit has two other higher-level officers above the FSOs, namely food safety designated officers (four are presently working in four districts) headed by an assistant food controller, who is the supervising authority in the regional unit.
As the only department playing watchdog role over food safety aspects like adulteration, sub-standard food and misbranding, sources said the understaffed department officials had little time to take up surprise raids under the old 1954 Act, which had no provision to take up compounding of cases registered by the department.
Presently, the lone Food Safety Officer (FSO) working in Warangal district is burdened with attending 220 court cases filed in various courts leaving no time for conducting raids on suspected shops selling adulterated or sub-standard food items in the market.
Sources pointed out FSOs in each of the four districts under the Warangal zone are facing a similar situation attending pending court cases numbering about 150-300 in each district.
What is more, once a case is registered by the FSOs of the respective district, official sources pointed out that the case often drags on for an average period of 5-7 years before it is disposed of by a competent court.
This also explains why the department never carries out en mass raids over hundreds of roadside eateries and hotels selling sub-standard food items to customers.
However, department officials hope the new 2006 Act would bring in positive change as joint collectors of the respective districts have been designated as ‘adjudicating officer’ with power to compound the offence of the accused by levying fines.
According to D. Ramakrishna, food safety designated officer, Warangal district, the new Act brings offences such as ‘misbranding of products’ and sale of ‘sub-standard eatables’ under the compoundable category.
“These offences can now be decided by joint collector under the new Act without approaching the courts,” he said.