Nagaland’s Food Safety Index scores witness further decline

June 9, 2023 5 Views No Comment

Kerala tops big states, Goa on small states

Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 9

The score of Nagaland in the annual State Food Safety Index (SFSI) by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), declined further in 2022-23, while its ranking stagnated at 6th among eight states placed under the ‘Small States’ category.

The 5th edition of the SFSI, released by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare on June 7, coinciding with World Food Safety Day, informed that Nagaland managed to score just 29 out of a total of 100 points, representing a decline from 36 points in 2021-22 when the State was again placed sixth among the eight small states.

Analysis of previous years’ reports indicated that Nagaland’s best performance was in 2020-21 when it ranked 5th with 38 points.

The highest score was in 2019-20 when the State was placed sixth with a score of 42, but the points have declined continuously thereafter. Nagaland’s lowest score was during the first edition of SFSI (2018-19) at 25 points.

The SFSI scores are based on six parameters: Human Resources and Institutional Data (18%); Compliance (28%); Food Testing Infrastructure (17%); Training & Capacity Building (8%); Consumer Empowerment (19%); and Improvement in SFSI Rank (10%).

According to the report, FSSAI has developed the index to measure the performance of states on various parameters of food safety based on the performance of the states/UTs in the last financial year.

Comparison data indicates that Nagaland’s score fell from 12 points in 2021-2022 to just 5 in 2022-23. The score for Food Testing Infrastructure also decreased from 12.5 to 7 points during the same period. On the other hand, scores for Human Resources and Institutional Data, Training & Capacity Building, and Consumer Empowerment respectively saw marginal increase by 0.5, 1, and 2 points respectively.

Top performers in India
In terms of the top performers in India, the SFSI ranked the states and Union Territories (UTs) in three categories: UTs (8), Small States (8), and Large States (20).

In the ‘Large States’ category, Kerala topped the index with 63 points, followed by Punjab (57.5) and Tamil Nadu (56.5). The bottom three in the category were Assam (22), Bihar (20.5), and Jharkhand (20).

Goa, Manipur, and Sikkim were placed first, second, and third in the ‘Small States’ category with 51, 49.55, and 40 points respectively. The bottom-three were Mizoram with 14.5, Tripura (24.5), and Nagaland (29).

In the UT category, Jammu and Kashmir topped the index with 59.5 points, followed by Delhi (49.5) and Chandigarh (45). Lakshadweep was at the bottom with 4 points, followed by Puducherry (12) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu (25.5).

Based on the points scored, out of the 36 states and UTs assessed, Nagaland was placed 25th along with Odisha. Kerala topped the composite index, followed by Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. The lowest-ranked states/UTs from the bottom were Lakshadweep, Puducherry, and Mizoram.

Best Practices
Meanwhile, highlighting the best practices of the top performers, the report underscored that Goa and Tamil Nadu have placed significant emphasis on consumer empowerment through active engagement in FSSAI’s Eat Right India (ERI) initiatives.

Additionally, a considerable number of awareness programs on food safety and hygiene have been conducted for consumers to reinforce the significance of maintaining safe and healthy food practices, it said.

Manipur has conducted comprehensive range of inspections of food premises to ensure adherence to food safety standards while in most top performing states, there was significant rise in the issuance of new licenses and registrations.

In Sikkim, the current number of Food Safety Officers (FSOs) and Designated Officers (DOs) aligned with the recommended ideal strength while regular district level advisory committee meetings are conducted to foster coordination with different organisations, enhancing food safety measures in the region.

In Kerala, all State Food Testing Laboratories (SFTLs) hold NABL accreditation and are duly notified under section 43(1) of the FSS Act, 2006 and all sanctioned positions of Food Analysts have been filled, ensuring the availability of qualified professionals for food testing and analysis.

Besides, all Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs) are operational and actively engaged in conducting testing, training, and awareness programs related to food safety, the report highlighted.

A substantial number of enforcement samples have been collected by Food Safety Officers (FSOs) for testing and monitoring purpose in Punjab, it added.