Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Jammu & Kashmir were ranked as the top three performers on the State Food Safety Index 2024, released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday. While Kerala topped the list, Tamil Nadu and Jammu & Kashmir trailed in the second and third spots, respectively.

Gujarat and Nagaland got special mentions and acknowledgement. The report was unveiled at the inaugural session of the Global Food Safety Regulators Summit.

Parameters

The SFS Index is a quantitative and qualitative benchmarking framework that evaluates States and Union Territories on various food safety parameters, which include human resources and institutional data, compliance, food testing-infrastructure and surveillance, training & capacity building and consumer empowerment.

In its report, the FSSAI noted that Kerala has achieved more than 100 per cent of its inspections target in FY24, improved its food-testing infrastructure and organised special drives to increase the number of license-holders and registrations, among other achievements.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has got a “significant number of full-time designated food safety officers, and it has constituted the State Level Advisory Committee and District Level Advisory Committee, which conducted meetings as scheduled,” FSSAI noted.

Keeping up with trends

Speaking at the inagural session, Union Minister for Health, JP Nadda, said that FSSAI is working on harmonising food safety standards with international benchmarks and aligning Maximum Residue Limits for pesticides with global standards Codex.

He stressed the need for a rigorous food-safety standard and adaptable regulatory framework to address innovative food trends such as plant-based proteins, insect protein, and lab-grown meat.

Referring to reports that have highlighted “alarming levels of microplastics” found in food chains, he highlighted India’s focus on developing eco-friendly packaging to mitigate environmental degradation. Nadda also emphasised on the importance of widespread adoption of organic farming, globally, to mitigate the risks posed by pesticide residues in food.

“The rapid globalisation, technological advancement and evolving consumer preferences are reshaping our food systems at an unprecedented pace. We face a complex area of challenge from persistent food-borne illness and emerging concerns such as nutraceutical safety, novel foods and microplastics in our food chain, while striving for sustainability,” Nadda said. He said that the role of food regulators has never been more crucial and it demands continuous collaboration, relentless innovation, and a commitment to constant improvement in the food safety systems.

Organic farming

The Minister called for greater adoption of organic farming globally, stating, “India’s efforts in promoting organic farming, an alternative pest control method, are steps in the right direction. But more widespread adoption is needed globally.”

The minister announced that India has established a National Research Foundation with a budget of almost $ 5.9 million from 2024-28 to scale up research across various sectors, including food safety.

Meanwhile, FSSAI has launched the Food Import Rejection Alerts (FIRA), an online portal designed to notify the public and relevant food safety authorities about food import rejections at Indian borders. It also launched an advanced version of Food Import Clearance System called Food Import Clearance System 2.0 (FICS 2.0), an advanced version of Food Import Clearance System for faster processing and transparency by offering a complete online solution with new features, automation, and integration with other relevant portals. Additionally, FSSAI’s cooking show, in collaboration with State broadcaster Doordarshan, to promote millet recipes was also introduced.

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