Mobile Vans to test Food quality

Nine mobile food testing labs were flagged off by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in the capital to put a check on ill quality food. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 was enacted in 2006 in order to consolidate all the laws relating to food and to establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and for regulating their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, for ensuring availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption in the Country. The main aim of launching the mobile food testing lab is to check adulteration in milk and related products, ghee, spices, etc. Besides, experts will also make people aware about how to differentiate original food items from adulterants. Through these units, 24 tests can be conducted on milk, nine on edible oil, 17 on spices and 11 on other foods to check for adulterants. At the cost of Rs. 19 crore, a total of 53 more such labs will be made available to other States. Under this system, samples collected by field units will be coded and tested in FSSAI-notified labs and the results will be available in a central database. This data will be available for enforcement and food import controls. The Authority will also launch a food safety index to judge all States and Union Territories on parameters like testing infrastructure, enforcement, surveillance and consumer grievance cell, among others.The Authority is also working on strengthening the existing labs, and will be modernising 45 labs across the country at a cost of Rs. 12 crore each. The Association would soon connect all food labs in the country by way of a centralized management system.