Mangalagiri:
State Health and Medical Minister Satya Kumar Yadav directed officials to improve the performance of the Food Safety Department and ensure that Andhra Pradesh ranks among the top ten states in the national Food Safety Index by December this year.
During a Food Safety Review Andhra Pradesh meeting held on Friday at the Directorate of Secondary Health office in Kunchanapalli, Mangalagiri, the minister conducted a detailed review of the department’s performance across districts.
He pointed out that according to the latest national ranking released by the Central Government in March 2024, Andhra Pradesh was placed at 28th position. He said this situation must change and warned that negligence in duties will not be tolerated.
The minister said the poor performance of the Food Safety Department was due to the previous government’s mismanagement, and directed officials to take corrective steps immediately. He also announced that senior officials will review the department’s performance every month, while he will personally review it once every three months.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) https://fssai.gov.in/
Mandatory Facial Recognition Attendance
Satya Kumar Yadav instructed officials to implement the Facial Recognition System (FRS) for attendance, making it mandatory for salary payments. He stressed that officials working in such a crucial department must perform their duties with dedication.
He said officers who perform well should be encouraged, while those failing to discharge their duties should face appropriate action.
The minister also stated that after the coalition government came to power, agreements with the Central Government helped secure about ₹130 crore for food laboratories and other development activities in the state.
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Concerns Over Poor Sample Collection
During the meeting, the minister reviewed district-wise performance, food sample collection, and enforcement activities. He expressed concern over the decline in the number of food samples collected.
He pointed out that Food Safety Officers (FSOs) are required to collect 12 samples every month, but in the past 11 months only six officers out of 40 met the target of 132 samples.
He also questioned why only 8% of the collected samples were found adulterated, while the national average is around 20%, and asked officials to explain the discrepancy.
The minister further asked why four mobile food safety laboratories provided by the Centre were not being fully utilized.
He also noted that some officers were living far away from their places of duty and directed senior officials to ensure strict monitoring of staff attendance and field work.
Strict Action Against Negligence
The minister said that the collection of milk samples should be increased, especially in the wake of the adulterated milk incident reported in Rajamahendravaram.
He also announced that steps are being taken to fill around 150 vacant posts in the department, and said that construction of food testing laboratories is progressing rapidly.
Paperless Reporting System
State Health Secretary Saurabh Gaur advised officials to adopt a paperless online reporting system and ensure that cases are disposed of within the stipulated time without delay.
Food Safety Commissioner Veerapandian and Director Neelakantha Reddy instructed officials to conduct inspections strictly according to FSSAI protocols and register cases wherever violations are found.
They also emphasized the need to create public awareness about safe food practices and ensure that all food business operators obtain mandatory food licenses.
Officials warned that strict departmental monitoring will continue and action will be taken against those showing negligence in their duties.
