FOOD SAFETY

Though already late, it is good to know that the Government of Manipur has finally woken up to giving due importance to the cause of general health and hygiene of the people, and decided to act tough against shops selling eatable items and other food manufacturing units being operated in the State without possessing the required registration certificates and license.  After being passed by the Indian Parliament on August 23, 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 has been implemented as a law with effect from August 5, 2011 throughout the country including Manipur. Under this Act, owners of shops and other business establishments selling eatable items as well as companies manufacturing food items need to register themselves and possess the required registration certificates and licenses from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which has been mandated under the provisions of the Act to ensure availability of wholesome safe food for human consumption. At the State level, the Commissioner of Food Safety is the highest regulatory and implementing authority of the Act. It is unfortunate to learn that people of the State in general and the owners of shops and other business establishments dealing in food items in particular do not understand the significance of the Act.

As some of the Food Safety Officers in the State have themselves admitted, lack of awareness has been at the root cause of total neglect of the Act and its provisions in Manipur, and consequently, the failure of the shop-keepers and proprietors of food manufacturing units to register and possess the required registration certificates and licenses from FSSAI. So, the authorities concerned need to find out ways and means to generate awareness among the people. Here, we should understand the simple fact that for successful implementation of any legislation or developmental scheme/project, mass publicity campaign out in the field is imperative. Organising a couple of workshops or seminars within the confined of an air-conditioned conference hall of some classy hotels and then claiming that publicity campaigns have been carried out to convey the message to owners of shops and other business establishments dealing in food items or extending deadline for registration wouldn't simply work. One needs to be more sincere and dedicated towards ensuring availability of wholesome safe food for human consumption. Let's be clear that unsafe food not only causes many acute and life-long diseases, but also pose a growing threat to public health. So, when it comes to the question of life and death, do we need time to wait for an answer?