Odisha Jumps To 4th Rank In State Food Safety Index 2021

Bhubaneswar: Registering an impressive performance, Odisha has secured fourth rank in the State Food Safety Index 2021 compared to 13th position previous year.

According to 3rd State Food Safety Index (SFSI), released by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday, Gujarat was the top ranking state, followed by Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha among major states.

In the last two years, Odisha was ranked 13th behind neighbouring states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) brought out the SFSI by measuring the performance of the states in five parameters of food safety. Following are the parameters:

• Human resources and institutional data
• Compliance
• Food testing – infrastructure and surveillance
• Training and capacity building
• Consumer Empowerment

The Union Minister felicitated nine leading States/UTs based on the ranking for their impressive performance.

Speaking on the occasion, he said the mobile food testing laboratories will not only help functionaries in the states to enhance their outreach and conduct surveillance activities but will also become an effective tool for training and awareness generation activities amongst citizens. The citizens are a stakeholder for food safety along with government and industry, he added.