JAIPUR: The state has implemented the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006 to check food adulteration and ensure food safety, but due to unavailability of food analyst, over the years it has to close down seven public health laboratories in different parts of the state.
The closed down laboratories were situated in Banswara, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Bikaner, Bharatpur, Ganganagar and Sikar. Now, there are six public health laboratories which are operational in the state.
State's food commissioner Dr BR Meena said, "The laboratories stopped operations due to shortage of food analyst."
The state government implemented the Act to ensure food safety and standard, but on the ground, facilities to check food adulteration have reduced in the state due to closure of seven food laboratories.
Besides, the health department is confident that the existing six laboratories would be sufficient for the state.
Dr Meena claimed that the existing six operational laboratories, situated in Jaipur, Kota, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ajmer and Alwar, are sufficient for the state to test food samples.
The six laboratories test the samples of food items collected from sweet shops, milk samples and other food products in different parts of the state by the food safety officers.
Dr Meena said that there is shortage of food analyst and the department has already written to the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences to recruit food analysts for the laboratories.
According to the FSSA, the function of food analyst includes receipt of a package containing a sample for analysis from a food safety officer, who collects the samples from food shops and ensures that the samples are tested within 14 days. The Act says that in case the sample cannot be analyzed within 14 days of its receipt, the food analyst will inform the designated officer and the commissioner of food safety giving reasons and specifying the time to be taken for analysis.
Sources said that they are planning to shift the staff of the closed down laboratories to the six operational laboratories.
Over a period of time, the seven laboratories started shutting down due to the shortage of staff and other resources.
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