On September 20, 2021, Union Minister Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) released the 3rd State Food Safety Index (SFSI) 2020-21 by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in New Delhi. It measures the performance of States/Union Territories (UTs) across five parameters of food safety.
- In this regard, MoHFW felicitated nine leading States/UTs from 3 categories for their impressive performance.
Top rankers:
i.Larger States: Gujarat was the top ranking state, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- Bihar ranked last (20th) in this list.
ii.Smaller States: Goa stood first followed by Meghalaya at 2nd and Manipur at 3rd .
- Mizoram stood last at 8th
iii.UTs: Jammu & Kashmir grabbed the top spot followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands and New Delhi at 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
- Lakshadweep ranked 8th place at last .
5 parameters of food safety:
i.Human Resources and Institutional Data
ii.Compliance
iii.Food Testing- Infrastructure and Surveillance
iv.Training and Capacity Building
v.Consumer Empowerment
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Results of Survey assessing the presence of Industrially Produced Trans Fatty Acid released
The Union Minister also released the results of a PAN-India survey that identified the presence of industrially produced trans fatty acid content in six food categories. Samples of the same were collected from 419 cities/districts across 34 States/UTs.
- Overall, only 84 samples, i.e. 1.34%, have more than 3% industrially produced trans fats from the total of 6245 samples.
Other launches by Mansukh Mandaviya:
i.Launch of various innovative initiatives by FSSAI including the Eat Right Research Awards and Grants to encourage and recognize high-quality research in food safety and nutrition in India.
ii.Release logo for Vegan Foods for easy identification and distinction from non-vegan foods.
iii.Launch of various e-books featuring recipes around local seasonal food items, indigenous millets and plant-based sources of protein.
iv.The minister also flagged off 19 Mobile Food Testing Vans (Food Safety on Wheels) taking the total number of such mobile testing vans to 109.
Pledge of becoming Plastic Waste Neutral:
During the event, 24 food businesses signed a pledge on becoming ‘Plastic Waste Neutral’ by collecting, processing and recycling of 100% post-consumer plastic waste.
- 21 companies have also committed to reduce the levels of virgin plastic in the food and beverage sector.
Other Participants:
Rita Teaotia, Chairperson, FSSAI; Arun Singhal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Member Secretary, FSSAI, among others.
Recent Related News:
Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) & Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have signed an agreement to protect consumers from misleading claims in Food & Beverage (F&B) advertisements.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Mansukh Mandaviya Constituency– Gujarat
Minister of State (MoS)– Bharati Pravin Pawar (Constituency- Dindori, Maharashtra)
