Meghalaya has been ranked second among the smaller states for food safety by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), it was revealed today.
Food safety and healthy diets are critical in the context of India’s high burden of food borne diseases, under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and growing incidence of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Actions on several fronts and involvement of many stakeholders is needed to ensure that the people have access to safe and healthy food.
Awareness and educating the people on food safety and nutrition is required and the “Eat Right India” movement was launched by the FSSAI.
The State Food Safety Index was first started in 2018-19 on the occasion of World Food Safety Day on June 7, 2019.
The assessment was based on human resources and institutional data, compliance, food testing infrastructure and surveillance, training and capacity building of regulators and food business operators and consumer empowerment.
Based on these parameters, Meghalaya was ranked second in the State Food Safety Index among the smaller states in the country. This was announced at a programme at the FSSAI headquarters in New Delhi, which was attended by Mansukh L Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare.
Meghalaya Health Minister James PK Sangma expressed happiness on the state’s Commissionerate of Food Safety and congratulated the concerned officials.
