Haryana food labs lack modern equipments to test food samples

Haryana's food laboratories are "not equipped" with modern instruments to test food samples as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act and it poses "health hazards," to public, says latest CAG report.
In its performance audit report, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) also rapped Haryana Food and Drug Administration department for neither conducting any survey to identify food business establishments nor having any on them.
To assess the efficiency and effectiveness of enforcement of the FSS Act, 2006, the government auditor checked the records of the Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration at Chandigarh and Karnal and designated officers and food business operators (FBOs) in districts of Ambala, Faridabad, Gurugram and Sonepat durimng 2011-2016.

To regulate the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of food articles and to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption, the government of India had enacted FSS Act, 2006.
While scrutinising the records of Haryana Food Laboratory, Chandigarh and district food labs at Karnal, the auditors found there was no facility for conducting residual analysis tests for pesticide residues, mycotoxins, metallic contamination, antibiotic residue and food additives in labs.
These tests were neither being conducted in the government labs nor were getting conducted from accredited labs, said the report.

The records further revealed that neither any survey was conducted nor any data regarding the total number of FBOs in the state was available with the department.

The food lab was not equipped with modern sophisticated instruments for testing food samples according to the prescribed standards, said the report.
Non-compliance with key provisions of the act endangers the quality of food and poses health hazard to general public," the report concluded.