Context:
State Food Safety Index 2023 – Key Highlights
- 15 out of 20 states recorded lower 2023 scores compared to 2019.
- In 2020, the average of total scores given to all large states improved marginally to 56 points out of 100 from 52 points in 2019, when the State Food Safety Index was first published. In 2021 and 2022, however, the average score dropped to 51 points for both years.
- The steepest fall was observed in the State Food Safety Index 2023 when the average score dropped to 40 points.
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- Food Testing Infrastructure: It measures the availability of adequate testing infrastructure with trained personnel in each state for testing food samples.
- Over five years, it recorded the worst drop in the average score in all large states which dropped to 7 points out of 17 in 2023 from 13 points out of 20 in 2019.
- The average score for all large states for this parameter dropped to 7 points out of 17 in 2023 from 13 points out of 20 in 2019.
- Both Gujarat and Kerala were the best performers in 2023 with 13.5 points out of 17 while Andhra Pradesh performed the worst.
- Compliance: It measures licensing and registration of food businesses, inspections conducted, special drives and camps organised, and other such compliance-related tasks carried out by each state’s food safety authority.
- It was given the highest weightage of 28 per cent in 2023 (30 per cent in previous years).
- In 2023, Jharkhand received 4 points out of 28, the lowest score for compliance, whereas Punjab and Himachal Pradesh received 18 points each, the highest score.
- The 2023 average compliance score for all large states stood at 11 points out of 28 compared to 16 points out of 30 in 2019.
- Consumer Empowerment: It measures a state’s performance in various consumer empowering initiatives of FSSAI including participation in Food Fortification, Eat Right Campus, BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God), Hygiene Rating of Restaurants, and Clean Street Food Hubs.
- It was given the second highest weightage of 19 per cent in 2023 (20 per cent in previous years), Bihar’s score in this parameter dropped to 1 point out of 19 in 2023 from 7 points out of 20 in 2019.
- The top performer for this parameter in 2023 was Tamil Nadu with 17 points out of 19, followed by Kerala and Madhya Pradesh with 16 points each.
- Overall, there has been little change in this parameter in the last five years, with the average score in 2023 being 8 points out of 19 compared to 2019 when it was 7.6 points out of 20.
- Human Resources and Institutional Data: It measures availability of human resources including number of Food Safety Officers, Designated Officers, and facility of adjudications and appellate tribunals in each state.
- It was given the third highest weightage of 18 per cent in 2023 (20 per cent in previous years).
- Top performers in 2019 like Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, with each receiving 17 points out of 20, got merely 10.5 and 9.5 points respectively in 2023.
- Training and Capacity Building’: it recorded significant improvement and was given the least weightage of 8 per cent in 2023 (10 per cent in previous years).
- The average score for this parameter improved to 5 points out of 8 in 2023 from 3.5 points out of 10 in 2019.
- Improvement in State Food Safety Index (SFSI) Rank: The new parameter carried a weightage of 10 per cent in 2023 in which 14 out of 20 large states received 0 points.
What is the State Food Safety Index?
- Since 2019, FSSAI has released the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) each year on June 7 on the occasion of World Food Safety Day.
- It aims to foster healthy competition and catalyze positive change in the food safety ecosystem throughout the country, ultimately ensuring the provision of safe and wholesome food to all residents.
News Source: Indian Express
November 2, 2023