Context:
Recently, the union Health Minister released the fifth State Food Safety Index in New Delhi.
Relevance:
GS-II: Social Justice (Issues related to Health, Government Policies and Interventions)
Dimensions of the Article:
- About the State Food Safety Index (SFSI)
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- State and Union Territory Rankings in 2022-23 Report:
About the State Food Safety Index (SFSI)
- The index is developed by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) to measure the performance of states on five significant parameters of Food Safety.
- The parameters include Human Resources and Institutional Data, Compliance, Food Testing – Infrastructure and Surveillance, Training & Capacity Building and Consumer Empowerment.
- The Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States/UTs.
- The first State Food Safety Index for the year 2018-19 was announced on the first-ever World Food Safety Day on 7th June 2019.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- FSSAI is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
- The FSSAI has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which is a consolidating statute related to food safety and regulation in India.
- Hence, FSSAI is a Statutory Body.
- FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.
- The main aim of FSSAI is to
- Lay down science-based standards for articles of food
- To regulate manufacture, storage, distribution, import and sale of food
- To facilitate safety of food
- Standards framed by FSSAI are prescribed under:
- Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011,
- Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulation, 2011
- Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Regulations, 2011.
State and Union Territory Rankings in 2022-23 Report:
Large State Category:
- Kerala secured the top rank among the large states.
- Punjab and Tamil Nadu followed as the second and third top-ranking states in this category.
Small States Category:
- Goa attained the highest rank among the small states.
- Manipur and Sikkim were the second and third top-ranking states in the small states category.
Union Territories Category:
- Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, and Delhi were the top-ranking Union Territories.
-Source: The Hindu, PIB
