Jisha Surya
January 9, 2014
Thiruvananthapuram: When the office of the commissioner of food safety was formed in 2011 to implement Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the prevention of food adulteration wing and government analytical labs under director of health service were handed over to the department. More than two years after its formation, the department lacks facilities to ensure food safety as ill-equipped government analytical laboratories hamper detection and sample testing. None of the three government analytical labs under the department has National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories’ accreditation.
The department has government analytical laboratories in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode. It has a district food testing lab in Pathanamthitta. Food safety joint commissioner K Anil Kumar said that department is in the process of upgrading labs to secure NABL accreditation. “We are getting funds in various stages and upgradation is a time consuming process. Almost all government laboratories in the country are in the process of upgrading themselves to get accreditation,” he said.
While Anil Kumar denied sending samples to private laboratories for analysis, a food safety official, on condition of anonymity, said that government analytical labs are ill equipped to identify a number of new adulterations. “For detailed analysis of adulteration in items such as milk and fish, the department had approached private accredited labs,” he said. The department has notified five accredited private laboratories in Kochi for analytical purposes.
Anil Kumar said the absence of accredited labs will not do any harm as vendors can approach private labs for analysis. “As per Food Safety and Standards Act, four samples of a product will be taken for analysis. Of these, one will be sent to analytical lab and rest will be kept with the food safety officer. If the vendor wants, he can demand the sample to be sent to a private accredited laboratory,” Kumar said.
Officials of analytical labs, on condition of anonymity, said that more than shortage of latest equipment, manpower shortages affected them severely. “The results of foods samples collected for statutory sampling has to be made available in 14 days. However due to the staff shortage, we are not in a position to deliver results in 40 days,” an official said, adding that food safety department has to collect products for statutory sampling periodically, but it happens rarely due to staff shortage. The department is yet to publish the results of statutory sampling it conducted before Onam.
The official also said that they are waiting for central assistance so that they can upgrade equipment. “We are unable to identify certain heavy metals and pesticides, let alone its permissible level,” an official said.
January 9, 2014
Thiruvananthapuram: When the office of the commissioner of food safety was formed in 2011 to implement Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the prevention of food adulteration wing and government analytical labs under director of health service were handed over to the department. More than two years after its formation, the department lacks facilities to ensure food safety as ill-equipped government analytical laboratories hamper detection and sample testing. None of the three government analytical labs under the department has National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories’ accreditation.
The department has government analytical laboratories in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode. It has a district food testing lab in Pathanamthitta. Food safety joint commissioner K Anil Kumar said that department is in the process of upgrading labs to secure NABL accreditation. “We are getting funds in various stages and upgradation is a time consuming process. Almost all government laboratories in the country are in the process of upgrading themselves to get accreditation,” he said.
While Anil Kumar denied sending samples to private laboratories for analysis, a food safety official, on condition of anonymity, said that government analytical labs are ill equipped to identify a number of new adulterations. “For detailed analysis of adulteration in items such as milk and fish, the department had approached private accredited labs,” he said. The department has notified five accredited private laboratories in Kochi for analytical purposes.
Anil Kumar said the absence of accredited labs will not do any harm as vendors can approach private labs for analysis. “As per Food Safety and Standards Act, four samples of a product will be taken for analysis. Of these, one will be sent to analytical lab and rest will be kept with the food safety officer. If the vendor wants, he can demand the sample to be sent to a private accredited laboratory,” Kumar said.
Officials of analytical labs, on condition of anonymity, said that more than shortage of latest equipment, manpower shortages affected them severely. “The results of foods samples collected for statutory sampling has to be made available in 14 days. However due to the staff shortage, we are not in a position to deliver results in 40 days,” an official said, adding that food safety department has to collect products for statutory sampling periodically, but it happens rarely due to staff shortage. The department is yet to publish the results of statutory sampling it conducted before Onam.
The official also said that they are waiting for central assistance so that they can upgrade equipment. “We are unable to identify certain heavy metals and pesticides, let alone its permissible level,” an official said.
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