Addressing a CII conference, Health Secretary Bhanu Pratap Sharma said there is shortage of manpower and skill at both the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as well as the state food & drug departments.
The government is working on strengthening the FSSAI and state FDAs through capacity building that includes setting up of new testing laboratories and upgrading the existing ones, he said, adding that the focus is also on increasing awareness about the importance of food safety.
He said the proposal, once approved, would definitely give a strong fillip to the capacity building of the laboratories and other food regulatory set-ups.
According to sources, the Health Ministry has moved a proposal for granting Rs 1,750 crore, which includes about over Rs 800 crore for the FSSAI and the remaining amount for the state food regulators.
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The ministry has evaluated all the government's labs to find out the deficiencies, Sharma said.
Sharma also mentioned that the FSSAI only sets standards for different food products and the implementation is done by the state governments.
The states give licences and they enforce the Act and all the prosecutions, he added.
The FSSAI has come into limelight after it imposed the ban on Maggi in June this year, which was later lifted by the Bombay High Court.
After Maggi ban, industry as well as Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal criticised the FSSAI.
Badal had said that the FSSAI's decision created "fear psychosis" in the food processing industry.
Food regulator FSSAI, which comes under ambit of Health Ministry, lays down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.