Secretary Health reviews Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Srinagar, May 29: Secretary, Health and Medical Education (H&ME), Bhupinder Kumar, Monday conducted a meeting to review measures being taken up under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 besides assessing FSSAI Eat Right India initiatives.
Among others the meeting was attended by Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, Shakeel Ul Rehman, Director Finance, H&ME, Zahoor Ahmad and other senior officers of H&ME and Food & Drugs administration departments.
Commissioner FDA gave a detailed overview of various activities carried out in the financial year 2022-23 by Food Safety Wing of the organization. He informed that the department has conducted 29342 inspections, tested 11848 legal samples, filed 1606 prosecutions, imposed a penalty of Rs. 14805850/-, compounded 774 cases with a fine of Rs. 1104300/-, realized a revenue of Rs. 41243600/- for granting regulatory clearances (licensing and registrations). Besides, 11380 testes, 155 trainings, 414 awareness programmes have been undertaken through Mobile Food Testing Vans (MFTV).
It was informed that the department has organized 19 Eat Right Melas/Walkathons, 162 License/Registration melas, 43 FoSTaC training programmes besides certified 588 Hotels/Restaurants/Dhabas/ Meat Shops/Sweets Shops under Hygiene Rating, 50 work places including health institutions as Eat Right Campuses, 07 places under Eat Right Places of worship and 15 schools under Eat Right School. Besides, the department also ensured lifting of 16998 litres of Used Cooking Oil from the Food Markets under Eat Right India Initiatives.
Secretary emphasized upon the officers to organize the Eat Right India initiatives particularly preventing reuse of cooking oil and Eat Right Millet Melas/Walkathons by resorting to aggressive awareness programmes in coming months as a part of celebration of International Millet Year, 2023.
Further, it was also impressed upon the officers to conduct regular inspections and testing of food samples besides ensuring strict action be taken against violators of provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act.