THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government was planning to establish food safety offices in all the Assembly constituencies in the state, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said on Thursday.
“The government has also plans to bring anganwadi, school and hostel canteens under the registration and licensing regime prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI),” he said while inaugurating a function organised for signing an MoU between the Food Safety Commissionerate, Kerala, and the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore.
The collaboration with CFTRI would enable the state to raise its food safety labs to international standards, Sivakumar said.‘’The MoU will help us upgrade the labs and strengthen analysis. Steps have been taken to strengthen enforcement. But modernisation and uplift of facilities should go hand in hand,’’ Food Safety Commissioner T V Anupama said. CFTRI director Ram Rajasekharan stressed the need to raise awareness among the public on issues related to safe food. Health Secretary K Elangovan, who presided over the function, said that the MoU with CFTRI would help enhance the performance of the food safety wing at a time when the ‘hygienic food safe food’ concept was gaining currency among the public. Chief Government Analyst (in-charge) S T Thankachan, Food Safety Joint Commissioner K Anil Kumar, Food Safety scientist, CFTRI, Dr Asha Martin, and CFTRI administrative officer Mallika P Kumar were also present.