On World Food Safety Day, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya released the 4th State Food Safety Index (SFSI) by FSSAI to measure the performance of States across five parameters of food safety and felicitated the winning State/UTs based on the ranking for the year 2021-22.
Among large States, Tamil Nadu topped the list. “Among the smaller states, Goa stood first followed by Manipur and Sikkim. Among UTs, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh secured first, second and third ranks,” the ministry said in its statement.
The minister said the government is committed to ensuring health security and is focussing on primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare fronts with initiatives, including health and wellness centres and strengthening of district hospitals under the National Health Mission.
He praised FSSAI’s — Food Safety and Standards Authority of India — role in ensuring healthy and nutritious food and added, “States have an important role in ensuring food safety and healthy food practices.”
The minister launched various initiatives by FSSAI — Eat Right Research Awards and Grants: Phase II and Eat Right Creativity Challenge: Phase III, a competition at the school level. He also released the logo for AyurvedaAahar.
He stressed that healthcare saw holistic development in the country in the last few years.
According to Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, a multifaceted and multi-stakeholder approach — involving industries, government machinery and regulators — is required to ensure food safety and create awareness at each level of the society.
FSSAI CEO Arun Singha said that the food testing paradigm in the country is being improved, and MoUs have been signed with States/UTs to see the food safety implementation.
World Food Safety Day
The theme for World Food Safety Day 2022, observed on June 7 every year, is “Safer Food, Better Health”.