FSSAI gets Centre’s nod to create 493 additional posts

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 15

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has got approval from the government for creating 493 additional posts in various functions. The move will enable the authority to increase its headcount from the current 356 employees.

Late last year, the CAG had pulled up the Health Ministry and FSSAI for not framing recruitment regulations even after a decade of the enactment of the FSS Act resulting in acute shortage of staff at various levels.

In a statement, FSSAI said the Health Ministry has issued orders for creating 493 additional posts for the Authority. “A large majority of the newly created posts are for technical functions, particularly at the cutting edge, that of Technical Officers (255 posts) and Assistant Director Technical (60 posts), where the staff shortage is particularly acute. In addition, 74 new posts of Central Food Safety Officers have been created.” FSSAI said the move will reduce its dependence on States for conducting food safety inspections and enable enforcing Central licensees directly.

The food safety regulator will also create posts in new functional areas such as social and behaviours change communication, training and capacity building and new technologies, it added.

Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, said with increased staff and resources, FSSAI would be able to discharge its responsibilities more effectively and would also be able to attract a diverse talent pool with special skill-sets required for its activities.

Globally, food safety regulatory agencies are known to be operating with a much bigger workforce. For instance, in the US, USFDA AND FDA has a combined staff of 14,200 people. Officials said compared to these numbers and international benchmarks, India still has a much smaller workforce deployed in the field of food safety.

However, officials added that on its part, FSSAI is working on a unique model of partnerships with all stakeholders to evolve a low-cost regulatory system that strongly leverages on latest technologies.

GOVT SANCTIONS 500 POSTS FOR FSSAI

With food regulator FSSAI facing manpower shortage, the government has sanctioned an additional 493 posts for the authority to discharge its responsibility effectively for ensuring safe and nutritious food to people.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which currently has 356 sanctioned posts, will now be able to conduct food safety inspections, besides law enforcement for central licensees directly instead of being fully dependent on the states.

Ministry of Health and Family has issued orders to create 493 additional posts for the authority, the FSSAI said in a statement. It has been functioning with merely 356 sanctioned posts and most of its staff is on short-term contract or on deputation.

With increased staff and resources, he said the FSSAI will be able to discharge its responsibility more effectively so as to inspire trust and assure safe and nutrition food for all citizens.

By more than doubling the staff strength of FSSAI, the Centre has addressed one of the key concerns raised by the CAG in its performance report of FSSAI and also by the Parliamentary Standing Committee in its latest report, the statement said.

"A large majority of the newly created posts are for technical functions, particularly at the cutting edge, that of Technical Officers (255 posts) and Assistant Director Technical (60 posts), where the staff shortage is particularly acute," the statement said.

City steps up drive against sale of illegal meat

Chennai: The city corporation has intensified the crackdown on the sale of unauthorized and unwholesome meat from meat shops, seizing 1,082kg of such meat from April to June. Last year, the civic body seized 6,200kg of such meat.

But, the sale of such met continues in areas like Pudupet and Chintadripet where it is mostly sourced from other states, say officials.

Data from the civic body as well as from the food safety department shows that shops in the Royapuram zone remain notorious for selling unwholesome meat and that not cut in authorized slaughterhouses.

From April 2017 to March 2018, Royapuram and Teynampet accounted for the most quantity of such meat, with 1,955kg being seized from Royapuram alone.

“While all seized meat is not rotten, we find it has not been cut at authorized corporation slaughterhouses, where a veterinarian is present through the morning hours for ante-mortem of the animal being slaughtered. Only during such inspections, we know the meat is safe for human consumption,” said a corporation official.

Most of the unwholesome meat seized is from around Egmore and Central stations, besides Chintadripet and Sowcarpet, said sources.

“A visit found that most of such meat gets cut inside homes or is sourced from states like Andhra Pradesh. In several instances, meat was found ferried in buses, trains, and even private vehicles,” officials told TOI. “The problem with meat being sold from unauthorized slaughtering is we can’t find if the animal was already dead or what the animal is. The ice used for ferrying meat from other states keeps it good for a few hours, but it rots after an overnight journey. During raids, we also seized several packets of flavour enhancers used to mask smell of rotten meat,” said a food safety department official, saying the serious problem stemmed from the lack of enough slaughterhouses.

Greater Chennai Corporation currently has slaughterhouses in Kallikuppam, Villivakkam , Saidapet, and Permabur. The official added that while sellers of such meat are fined, it is essential to make sale of such meat a criminal offence. “We need corporation’s cooperation in charging these offenders under IPC,” he said.

Sanitary inspectors suggest that the revenue department order closure of units found repeatedly illegally selling such meat.

However practical reasons dominate the unauthorized slaughter of animals, say traders. “It happens early and is wrapped up before 9am. We need to sell meat through the day, and it is not possible for meat to remain wholesome if it is cut in the morning. For these reasons, we slaughter animals ourselves,” said a trader, requesting anonymity.

Corporation sources said they planned to set up a slaughterhouse in the Thiruvottriyur zone, and one in Perungudi or Sholinganallur.

Fines imposed on traders for food adulteration

GUWAHATI: The Kamrup (Metro) district administration has imposed heavy fines, the total collection amounting to Rs 8 lakh, on traders found guilty of indulging in food adulteration. 

ADC Prasanta Pratim Kathkotia, who carried out a number of raids in the Fancy Bazaar area, said at least 82 cases have been registered against traders who were cheating buyers by selling food products of low quality. Kathkotia said similar raids will be carried out in other city markets.

"Prakash Kabra, a mustard oil trader in Fancy Bazaar, was fined Rs 1 lakh. Dulal Mandal, a food business operator in Fancy Bazaar as well as the Bimal Oils and Foods Limited have been fined Rs 1.4 lakh each for selling oil of low quality," said a statement issued from the DC office. Ambaji Food Products Limited of Ranchi has also been fined Rs 1.25 lakh for distributing food items of poor quality.

Pointing out that food adulteration is a crime under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, deputy commissioner Virendra Mittal has asked the officials to intensify their operations.

Corrupt fruit vendors are not being spared either with a trader from the Narengi area being fined Rs 20,000 for ripening bananas using carbide.

Officials of the district administration and food inspectors had destroyed around 12.5 quintals of mangoes after these were found to be ripened using chemicals in a market in Fancy Bazaar a few weeks ago. The market value of the damaged mangoes is reportedly more than Rs 62,000.