Every day we come across some news or another that speaks about adulterated food, compromised food hygiene, and more on the same line. From schools to hostel canteens and many other places, there is a need for an upgrade in the food section. The Food Safety and Standards Authorities of India (FSSAI) has laid an emphasis on ensuring food safety in the country. Upgrading measures, introducing training, and more are on the list!
FSSAI To Ensure Food Safety
To ensure safe food for students, FSSAI has asked states and union territories to offer training to the staff that handles food sections in universities, hostels, and school canteens. CEO of Food Safety and Standards Authorities of India (FSSAI), Kamala Vardhana Rao, stressed the same in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, at the 42nd Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting.
He asked the union territories and the states to create awareness about food safety. During the meeting, he asked the Commissioner of Food Safety of the States and UTs to make sure that they conduct special training so that the students get hygienic and safe food.
Kamala also asked the Commissioner of Food Safety of States and UTs to increase the number of food testing laboratories in India. He also asked them to upgrade the existing food testing infrastructure. (As per India TV)
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Keeping A Check On The Festive Season
As the festive season is around the corner, the CEO asked the Commissioner to make efforts and scrutinise the milk products, milk, and sweets. The Food Safety Authority is already working on its annual pan-India milk survey across 766 districts.
He spoke on the promotion and importance of the initiative—the modernization of 100 food streets. FSSAI, under this initiative, is looking at modernising about 100 street food hubs that already exist. Madhya Pradesh, as a state, has already taken the lead in this initiative. The officials mentioned that the state is very close to modernising many of its street hubs.
FSSAI, under the Eat Right India Initiative, has been focusing on “Clean Street Food Hubs” implementation. It has already certified about 110 such hubs. This is purely to increase food safety and hygiene in the street food vending industry in India.
In its next phase, its focus will be to make sure that the street vendors are able to serve healthy and hygienic recipes. This, too, should be in an organised and well-defined geographical area that has good infrastructure and other important facilities. FSSAI is also providing proper technical support for the same and has also set up some benchmarks.
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Streamlining The Process Of Acquiring Licences
The meeting was held in the presence of more than 50 officials. These members include Commissioners of Food Safety (CFS), senior officials from FSSAI, representatives from states and UTs, nodal ministries, and members who represent research bodies, consumers, laboratories, the food industry, and agriculture.
Recently, FSSAI introduced a new system to make sure that the process of obtaining food safety licences is streamlined. District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati mentioned that people who take the new online route to obtain a licence will have to pay only ₹1,000.
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What are your views?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva
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