Question : Supplementary Food under ICDS

(a) the mechanism put in place to check the quality of supplementary foods provided to States under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme;
(b) whether the Government has issued guidelines to the States to conduct periodical test/checking of the food supplements in laboratories, so as to ensure their quality;
(c) if so, the number of laboratories notified by the Government for testing of food supplements in this regard;
(d) the details of States/UTs that have complied/not complied with the above guidelines, State/UT-wise during the last three years and the current year; and
(e) the action taken against the non compliant States?

THE MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI MANEKA SANJAY GANDHI)

(a to e): A statement is placed on the table of the house.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a to e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.206 FOR 11.03.2016 ON ‘SUPPLEMENTARY FOOD UNDER ICDS’
(a) Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme; however, States/UTs are responsible for the implementation of Scheme including provision of supplementary nutrition to children (6 months to 6 years), pregnant womenand lactating mothers as per the nutritional norms and guidelines of the Scheme.The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of this Ministryin collaboration with the State Governments/UTs carries out periodic checks to ensure prescribed standards with reference to nutritional norms are adhered to and maintained properly.The States/UTs have also been advised to identify and involve Government Food Analysis Laboratories to get the SNP samples analyzed
(b) The Operational Guidelines for Food Safety and Hygiene in ICDS have been issued by the Ministry to all the States/UTs on 24.12.2013, followed by a circular dated 26.09.2014 inter alialinking release of funds under SNP to submission of a certificate of adherence tothese guidelines. The guidelines dated 24.12.2013 provide for periodical testchecking of the food so as to ensure quality.The State/UTs were further directed on 23.06.2015 to submit a time-bound action plan for ensuring quality and hygiene standards of food under SNP.
Further, the Government has introduced a 5-tier monitoring and review mechanism at National, State, District, Block and Anganwadi Levels for which guidelines were issued on 31.3.2011. Under these guidelines, monitoring of quality of supplementary nutrition is one of the roles of the State, District, Block and Anganwadi Level Committees.
(c) The supplementary food provided under ICDS is analyzed through four quality control laboratories of FNB located at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Further, the States/UTs have also been advised to identify and involve Government Food Analysis Laboratories to get the SNP samples analyzed.
(d& e) So far, five States/UTs, i.e., Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Kerala, Assam, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have certifiedadherence to guidelines of food safety.The remaining Statesare advised from time to time to submit the required certification.

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