BackFood safety authority gets less than half of what it sought
FSSAI has asked the govt for `5,000 crore in the 12th Five-Year Plan to set up food safety labs across India
Premium(Currently, only one million licences have been issued to food and beverage operators. )
New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has been allocated less than half the funds it had sought from the government for the five years to March 2017, but will wait until a mid-term review late next year to decide if needs more money, an FSSAI official said.
“FSSAI had originally demanded Rs5,000 crore (under the 12th Five-Year Plan), which was later cut to Rs4,600 crore by the working group in its recommendations. Now, it has been further slashed and the government approved only Rs2,350 crore," this official said.
The agency was informed about the allocation in January, the official said.
“The mid-term review of the Plan will most likely happen by the end of next year. If FSSAI finds that this allocation will not be sufficient, then it will surely raise (a) demand for enhancing the amount," the official said.
FSSAI chairman K. Chandramouli said: “We had asked for Rs5,000 crore during the 12th Plan. This was sought keeping in mind the huge work to be done during this period."
As a new organisation, FSSAI’s biggest challenge is to evolve standards of food safety and implement them, he said on the sidelines of a seminar by the Indian Beverage Association in New Delhi on Friday.
FSSAI was set up in 2008 after the Food Safety and Standards Act was passed in 2006. It became active only after regulations of the Act were notified in 2011.
The agency is working to bring on board about 55 million people engaged in various food businesses and register them with the organisation by February 2014, Chandramouli said.
Currently, only one million licences have been issued to food and beverage operators.
To check and maintain food standards, FSSAI is in the process of setting up testing laboratories, he said. “Our aim is to have at least one laboratory in each state initially. Later, we plan it to increase this to at least one lab for every 20 districts in the next five years," he added.
There are currently 72 government laboratories, which are to be upgraded during this period. Simultaneously, 33 new such testing centres will be set up.
On food imports, Chandramouli said: “Our country imports lot of food items now. Though there is no fixed figure available, but Rs2-3 lakh crore of foods come to India every year."
“We don’t have food and safety standards in the country which deal with food products across the spectrum. For this, we need to get the state governments and other stakeholders on board," Chandramouli said, adding implementation of the FSSAI Act continues to remain a challenge.
Vidhi Choudhary contributed to this story.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
