(a) whether any survey/report has been conducted recently on the safety and quality of
food articles produced indigenously and also imported and sold in Indian market;
(b) whether the Government proposes to formulate guidelines to ensure high standards of food safety and quality and a coordinated mechanism to regulate manufacture, storage,
distribution, sale and import of food articles duly supported with testing labs; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD)
(a) – A survey was carried out in year 2001-2002 to assess the quality of imported food
products being marketed in India by the Central Food Laboratory Mysore, Central Food Laboratory
Kolkata and Combined Food and Drugs Laboratory, Govt. of Delhi. However, no survey has been
carried out for indigenously produced food articles.
(b)&(c) – The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006) has been enacted by the
Parliament to consolidate the laws relating to food and establish the Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India for laying 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 and for matters connected therewith or incidental
thereto.
At present there are 72 laboratories of the States and 7 Central Food Laboratories functioning
in the country for testing adulteration in food items.