Maggi in Bengal: Needed 180 food safety officers, only 42 at work

Lead was never found in the samples of Nestle’s Maggi tested in the laboratories of Bengal.

Even as the Food Safety Commission in West Bengal announced the sale of Nestle’s Maggi noodles in the market at the end of this month after clearing safety norms, it also raised concern over the inadequate number of food safety officers (FSOs) in the state.

“We have a requirement of about 180 FSOs against the present strength of 42. Of those 23 are under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area and the remaining for the rest of the state,” state Food Safety Commissioner Godhuli Mukherjee said.

Sources in the food safety department said that recruitment of FSOs are done through the health recruitment board, which recruits more doctors than FSOs.

Mukherjee said they had put in a requisition for FSOs and process of recruitment was already on.

“The current government has been a lot more proactive in hiring FSOs. There is a process in which they are recruited in a government set-up. For 200 vacancies, there are at least 2 lakh applications which need to be scanned before finalising the recruits,” she said.

Sources in the department said there were three private (NABL-accredited) and two public food labs in the state with two food analysts and FSOs working under them.

Meanwhile, Mukherjee confirmed that they would allow sale of Maggi noodles lead soon, while confirming that lead was never found in the samples of Nestle’s instant noodles tested in the laboratories of Bengal.

“Maggi had been taken off the market following the court order and once it clears the safety norms it would be back at the shops,” Mukherjee said.

She added that the focus at present was largely on packaged drinking water and milk meeting the safety standards. “Those are two most essential things in life. Water is consumed by everyone and milk is consumed by infants, which could be fatal if they go unchecked,” she said.

It was found out that samples of certain packaged milk had been sent to the lab for a test.

She also said even after sale of Maggi resumes, routine sample tests would be periodically conducted.

“Within our limited resources, routine tests will be done of food items, including Maggi,” Mukherjee added.

In June, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had banned Maggi noodle products saying it was “unsafe and hazardous” for consumption after finding lead levels beyond permissible limits. The company had withdrawn the instant noodle brand from the market.