The Kerala state government has significantly increased inspections and searches in food establishments, including restaurants, bakeries, and eateries, to enforce the Food Safety and Standards Act more stringently, according to the state’s Health and Family Welfare Minister, Veena George.
Speaking to the state assembly in response to a motion brought forward by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, the minister highlighted that the FSSAI Act was enacted in 2006, while regulations under the act were put into effect in 2011. At that time, there were only 62 food safety officers, but now, there are 140 food safety officers in 140 circles across the state.
During the previous United Democratic Front (UDF) tenure from 2012-13, there were 6,358 food safety searches conducted. The numbers rose to 388, 1,195, and 3,525 in subsequent years until 2015-16. After the Left Democratic Front (LDF) took over in 2016, the number of searches increased to 5,497, then surpassed 20,000, and by December of last year, the number had already surpassed 55,000.
Minister George reminded the importance of ensuring that all food served in the state is safe, clean, and free of toxins. She stated that the food safety department is putting a strong emphasis on enforcing the FSSAI Act to achieve this goal.