A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) bashed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on the inefficiency and glitches in its functioning. Now, the FSSAI is trying to reassure the citizens by saying that they can trust the food that they eat says a report by the Economic Times.
FSSAI CEO RESPONDS TO THE CAG REPORT
The FSSAI is not only pacifying people but also has made a commitment to increase the food safety and hygiene with an investment of Rs.480 crore which will be used to modernise state food testing labs. The CEO of the FSSAI, Pawan Agarwal also said in a statement that they have requested the government to increase about 600 employees in the central authority so that it meets the manpower shortage. This, he said is so that the regulator is able to discharge all the functions along with framing standards and ensuring compliances.
Agarwal also added that the regulator is reviewing the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and in the coming three or four months, it will make recommendations to the health ministry. “We assure citizens that they can trust food they get. The FSSAI is confident that the country’s food safety ecosystem is well on the way to become more robust and globally benchmarked in the years to come,” he the reporters in a statement on Thursday.
Responding to the CAG report Agarwal said that the regulator, “appreciates the inputs from CAG to improve performance of food safety. The CAG report should, however, be seen in the context of the huge and complex task at hand and the fact that the FSSAI is new an evolving organisation and it faces severe constraints of manpower and resources. The FSSAI continues to be committed to raise the bar for food safety and hygiene in the country so that citizens can trust food they get in the marketplace.”
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