M’laya placed 5th among small states in Food Safety Index

SHILLONG, June 8: Meghalaya has been ranked fifth in the category of small states in the 4th State Food Safety Index (SFSI), which was released by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on the occasion of World Food Safety Day. The first, second and third ranks in the category of small states were bagged by Goa, Manipur and Sikkim respectively.
The report has been prepared by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to measure the performance of states across five parameters of food safety — Human Resources and Institutional Data (20 per cent weightage), Compliance (30 per cent weightage), Food Testing, Infrastructure and Surveillance (20 per cent weightage), Training and Capacity Building (10 per cent weightage) and Consumer Empowerment (with 20 per cent weightage).
The assessment and evaluation of each category are done by separate teams comprising experts on food testing as well as food and nutrition professionals in addition to FSSAI officials.
The teams examine the details received and also hold interactions with states and UTs for verification and confirmation of data.
Started in 2018-19, the SFSI aims to create a competitive and positive change in the food safety ecosystem in the country. This year, among the larger states, Tamil Nadu was the top-ranking state, followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra. Meanwhile, among the UTs, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh secured first, second and third ranks respectively.