Kerala has once again secured the top spot in the 2024 State Food Safety Index (SFSI), marking its second consecutive year as the leader in food safety across India. The Index, released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday, saw Tamil Nadu reclaim the second position, having dropped to third last year, while Jammu and Kashmir secured the third spot, as per a report on Mathrubhumi.
The rankings, unveiled by Union Health Minister J P Nadda at the Global Food Regulators Summit (GFRS) 2024 during the World Food India event, highlight the progress states have made in ensuring food safety. However, Gujarat, which previously led the rankings in 2021, slipped to fourth place this year.
The SFSI, first launched in 2019, assesses states and union territories based on five key parameters: Human Resources and Institutional Data, Compliance, Food Testing-Infrastructure and Surveillance, Training and Capacity Building, and Consumer Empowerment, as reported by The Hindu Businessline.
Kerala's top performance in 2024 is attributed to exceeding its inspection targets, improving food-testing infrastructure and organizing drives to increase the number of licensed food operators, saiid The New Indian Express.
The FSSAI's report recognized Kerala’s efforts in not only meeting but surpassing its goals for food safety inspections in the 2023-24 fiscal year. These initiatives, combined with enhanced infrastructure and consumer awareness campaigns, have propelled the state to the forefront of food safety in India.
Taking to Facebook, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said, "Kerala won the first place last year for the first time in history. Kerala retained the first place for the second consecutive year through strong activities. Food Safety Inspection, Sample Collection, Sample Testing, Prosecution Cases, Number of L-accredited labs, excellence of testing in labs, functioning of mobile labs, training and awareness activities etc has made Kerala to the first position in the National Food Safety Index."