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HEALTH DEPT OFFERS CAREFREE DAYS FOR FOOD ADULTERATORS

As many as 19 districts left with in-Charge food inspectors, the only food analyst of the State who too is not on permanent job is away from his lab for over a week and Health Department all clueless about when it will have full time employees to take care of quality of eatable items in State. This is how serious Health Department appears towards health of millions of people.

In a time when the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has come down heavily on Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for its negligent processes of approval to food testing laboratories across country in its report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the State Health Department appears having no interest in providing even minimum manpower for the purpose. 

Not from a week or a month, more than one and half dozen districts of State don’t have independent District Food Inspector since months and the charge of one of the most sensitive and responsible job of conducting raids to keep tab on adulteration of food items has remained on the shoulders of the officials already burdened with some other jobs.

Needless to say, food adulterators are enjoying heavenly days for them in State, keeping lives of people on stake. And the reply from the department remains consistent. Health Department Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi in July this year assured of necessary appointments done soon. “We are aware of the fact and are in process of getting officials placed on their jobs soon,” said a Department official seeking anonymity on Thursday.

“I am doing what I can do, and trying to do it within given time. But just one food analyst is not at all enough for entire State. This is why I am overtime working employee most of the time. I am sure I shall be welcomed with piles of food samples to be tested the moment I resume office anytime a week later,” said Food Analyst Chaturbhuj Meena who keeps himself buried testing samples in the only Food Testing Laboratory in State situated in Namkum.

Interestingly, Meena was in Madhya Pradesh for the week to appear in various courts as a witness in the cases he lodged against food samples found adulterated during his tenure as Food Analyst in Madhya Pradesh until two years ago. The lab in Namkum remained deserted in his absence.

Notably, CAG in its tabled report in Parliament found that licenses to food testing laboratories were issued on the basis of incomplete documents in more than 50 per cent of the cases out of some 72 laboratories test-checked in the audit. The apex auditor also found that neither FSSAI nor the state food authorities had documented policies and procedures on risk-based inspections.

FSSAI Attempts To Pacify Citizens After A Negative CAG Report

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.”