NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu has topped the Fourth State Food Safety Index 2021-22 of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), replacing Gujarat, which slipped to the second spot among 17 large states, followed by Maharashtra on the third place.
Tamil Nadu had ranked third among the larger states in the 2020-21 Index, while Kerala had secured the second position. Among smaller states, Goa retained its top ranking while Manipur and Sikkim secured second and third positions. Among UTs, J&K, Delhi and Chandigarh secured the top three ranks.
Releasing the Index on World Food Day, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the government was committed to ensuring the health security of every citizen and emphasised the role of states in ensuring food safety. The states were judged on five parameters: human resources and institutional data, compliance, food testing facility, training and capacity building and consumer empowerment.
Felicitating the winners, Mandaviya said it’s the need of the hour “that we come together to ensure a healthy nation”. The index, started in 2018-19, is aimed at creating a competitive and positive change in the food safety ecosystem in the country and to galvanise states and UTs to work towards ensuring safe food for citizens.
He also praised the crucial role played by FSSAI, a statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act-2006, in ensuring healthy and nutritious food to the people. The minister also felicitated 11 winners of the EatSmart Cities Challenge launched by FSSAI last year to motivate Smart Cities to develop and execute a plan that supports a healthy, safe and sustainable food environment by adopting ‘Eat Right’ initiatives.
