Country’s top food regulator, Food Safety and Standard Association of India (FSSAI) will soon embark on a mega drive to train over 25 lakh food business operators by the next 3 years to ensure that food quality standards are met across the States.
The FSSAI also plans to set up 100 food streets in the country which meet the quality benchmark for food safety, hygiene, and nutrition. This was stated by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday after unveiling the 5th State Food Safety Index (SFSI) on World Food Safety Day. The event was also attended by the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prof SP Singh Baghel among others.
The SFSI evaluates the performance of states and union territories across six different aspects of food safety.
At the event, Mandaviya also felicitated the winners based on their rankings with Kerala topping the list followed by Punjab and Tamil Nadu. Among the smaller states, Goa emerged as the leader, followed by Manipur and Sikkim. Additionally, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh secured the first, second, and third ranks respectively among the union territories.
In setting food safety standards for the country, the Minister said that we should look at our own traditions, and heritage in terms of diet, lifestyle, seasonality of food products, so we can set our own food standards in the world.
Mandaviya also unveiled several innovative initiatives by FSSAI, including the Rapid Food Testing Kit (RAFT) portal. This portal aims to streamline the operations of the RAFT Scheme, ensuring transparency and accountability. Baghel said, “Awards not just limited to certificates, but it has a larger impact. It also places greater responsibility on you as you go forward to do something even bigger.” On the importance of food safety, he said, “No matter how remote a place is, it boasts of fast food stalls, hence guaranteeing food safety standards becomes even more important in ensuring the health of our citizens.”