Goa leads small states while Jammu and Kashmir leads Union Territories
Tamil Nadu led Indian states on the State Food Security Index (SFSI) 2021-2022, which was released by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on World Food Safety Day, June 7, 2022.
The southern state scored a total of 82.5 points on a scale of 100 where the indicators included human resource and institutional data, compliance, food testing infrastructure and surveillance, training and capacity building and lastly, consumer empowerment.
Gujarat came second with a score of 77.5, followed by Maharashtra (70), Himachal Pradesh (65.5) and West Bengal (58.5). The poorest performing among the large states was Andhra Pradesh, with a score of just 26.
Goa led small Indian states, with a score of 56, followed by Manipur (44), Sikkim (40), Tripura (38.5) and Meghalaya (38). The poorest performer here was Arunachal Pradesh, with a score of 21.
Among Union Territories (UT), newly formed Jammu and Kashmir topped the list, performing better than the national capital with a score of 68.5, followed by National Capital Territory of Delhi (66) and Chandigarh (58). Lakshadweep was the poorest performer, with an average score of 16.
The SFSI was started by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in 2018 to create “a competitive and positive change in the food safety ecosystem in the country”. It looks at five key indicators.
The first is human resource and institutional data, which has a 20 per cent weightage. Under this, the availability of human resources such as food safety officers, designated officers, facility of adjudications and appellate tribunals is monitored in relation to the size of the state or UT.
The second is compliance, a critical parameter, which contributes to 30 per cent of the total score. Here, “special drives and camps organised, yearly increase, promptness and effectiveness in issue of state licences / registrations” are monitored.
The third is food testing infrastructure and surveillance, with a 20 per cent weightage, under which “availability of adequate testing infrastructure with trained manpower” is measured.
The fourth is training and capacity building (10 per cent weightage) and the final indicator is consumer empowerment (20 per cent weightage) where participation in initiatives such as participation in Food Fortification, Eat Right Campus, BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God), Hygiene Rating of Restaurants, Clean Street Food Hubs are monitored.
“The assessment and evaluation of each category are done by separate teams comprising of outside experts for food testing and food and nutrition professionals in addition to FSSAI officials,” the report noted.
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