FSSAI wants faster establishment of food safety lab in Bikaner
FSSAI
) Wednesday stressed the need to speed up the establishment of a food safety laboratory in Bikaner and assured FSSAI's support for this purpose.
FSSAI chief executive officer G Kamala Vardhana Rao held a meeting with health department officials in Jaipur. He appreciated the efforts of the state govt in promoting food safety and combating food adulteration. He also directed officials to ensure continuous monitoring to strengthen enforcement while emphasising the need for the prompt disposal of pending food adulteration cases.
"Samples of commonly consumed food items such as ghee, milk, paneer, and spices should be collected regularly, and the related cases must be disposed of promptly," said Rao while addressing state food safety officials during a state review meeting held in Jaipur.
During the review, Rao said FSSAI assessed efforts being undertaken under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, to prevent adulteration, including pending legal cases, manpower deployment, and other critical aspects. The importance of concluding adjudication within 90 days of the first hearing of the case, as mandated by the FSS Act 2006, was also discussed in the meeting. The meeting was attended by additional district magistrates of various districts who are responsible and appointed as adjudication officers for handling food adulteration-related cases.
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The CEO took stock of the vacant food safety officer (FSO) positions in the state and advised that these be filled at the earliest. The state's food safety commissioner, H Guite, presented a detailed overview of food safety operations and upcoming food safety campaigns, particularly during the festive season, and shared progress updates.
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