Kerala, Tamil Nadu (TN) and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) have emerged as the top performers of the 6th edition of State Food Safety Index (SFSI – 2023-24) developed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Kerala has topped the SFSI for 2nd consecutive year with 73.75 score out of 100.
- The SFSI 2023-24 was unveiled by the Union Minister Jagat Parkash Nadda, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) during the inaugural session of 2nd Global Food Regulators Summit (GFRS 2024) held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Delhi.
About SFSI:
i.SFSI is the annual ranking developed by FSSAI to evaluate the food safety performance of Indian states and union territories(UTs). The 1st edition of SFSI was released in 2019.
ii.The index is based on five significant parameters – Human Resources and Institutional Data(9%), Compliance(28%), Food Testing-Infrastructure and Surveillance(36%), Training & Capacity Building(8%), and Consumer Empowerment (9%) – and Improvement in SFSI Rank(10%). =
Top Performers in FSSAI’s SFSI 2024:
| Rank | State/UT | Score (2023-24) | Score (2022-23) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kerala | 73.75 | 63 |
| 2 | TN | 67 | 56.5 |
| 3 | J&K | 64.25 | 64 |
| 4 | Gujarat (Special Mention) | 48.5 | 61.75 |
| Special Acknowledgement for North Eastern Hilly States | |||
| 13 | Nagaland | 29 | 44.25 |
Key Findings:
i.The index revealed that Kerala has achieved over 100% of its inspections target in Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24) and also it has improved its food-testing infrastructure and organised special drives to increase the number of license-holders and registrations, among other achievements.
ii.As per the index, TN has improved its ranking by 1 place, from 3rd position (in 2023) to 2nd position (in 2024), with overall score of 67.
iii.J&K was ranked 3rd with overall score of 64.25, followed by Gujarat (score 61.75) and Punjab (score 56.75) were ranked at 4th and 5th position respectively.
iv.Nagaland was recognised with special acknowledgment among the north-eastern hilly states. It is ranked 13th among the states and UTs with overall score of 44.25.
v.J&K emerged as the top performing among UTs, followed by Chandigarh (score of 43.75) and Delhi (score of 37.5)
About GFRS 2024:
i.The GFRS 2024 was organised by the FSSAI under the MoH&FW, alongside the World Food India 2024 event organised by Ministry of Food Processing and Industries(MoFP&I), from 19th to 21st September 2024.
ii.During the event, FSSAI launched Food Import Rejection Alerts (FIRA), an online platform designed specifically to inform the public and relevant food safety authorities through notification about food import rejections at Indian borders.
iii.FSSAI has also launched an advanced version of Food Import Clearance System (FICS 2.0). This will help in faster processing and transparency by facilitating complete online solution.
About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):
Chairperson- Apurva Chandra
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Established- 2008
