Health Panel Dissatisfied On FSSAI Response To Testing At Labs Across Country

New Delhi, 31 March 2021:

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health in its action taken report on the functioning of FSSAI has expressed dissatisfaction on the latter's response regarding its recommendation that all the food testing labs across the country should follow a uniform procedure or methodology of testing so that accurate results are obtained.

The Committee was of the view that only publication of manuals will not facilitate a uniform Laboratory Testing System in the country.

“FSSAI will have to ensure that these manuals on Method of Analysis and Good Laboratory Practices are diligently followed by all the FTLs in the country,” the committee says in its further recommendation.

The Committee observed that FSSAI has not paid the desired attention to the prevailing inadequate facilities for checking the food articles on all parameters in the labs. The persisting flawed practice of deeming a food article safe even when it fails on some parameters raises serious concern about the accuracy of the testing methodology.

“The Committee, therefore, (further) recommends FSSAI to guide the Laboratories about the specific food safety parameters on which any food article should be mandatorily checked. Imported food should only be allowed in the market when it has passed the mandatory parameters as per the global norms,” reads the recommendation by the committee.

The Standing Committee previously told the FSSAI that all the food testing labs across the country should follow a uniform procedure or methodology of testing so that accurate results are obtained and also recommended that the imported food should mandatorily be checked for all the parameters.

The Committee was constrained to note that most food labs including those accredited by the NABL do not have facilities to test articles of food on all parameters. For food safety, the samples have to be checked for heavy metals contamination, pesticide residues, bacterial contamination, toxic chemicals etc., the Committee noted.

The FSSAI, in its reply, told the Committee that it has published 14 Manuals of Method of Analysis for different food products categories to ensure the uniformity in test results among the laboratories. Besides this, a Guidance Document on “Good Food Laboratory Practices” for food testing personnel has also been released. These are available on the website of FSSAI. Three Manuals of Method of Analysis are under finalisation. Further, FSOs and DOs are being trained on sampling and analysis including on lifting of samples for microbiological testing.Food And Beverage News