Representational image | Photo: Mathrubhumi archives
Kollam: Kerala has dropped to the sixth rank in the 4th State Food Safety Index (SFSI) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The state was ranked second in the 3rd SFSI (2020-21). This was an improvement from the 4th rank in the 2019-20.
In the list of 18 larger states, Tamil Nadu is ranked first with 82 points, followed by Gujarat with 77.5 points. Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh are ranked third and fourth. The fifth position is shared by West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. Kerala secured 57 points, a drop from 70 points in 2020-21.
Kerala’s performance has dropped in parameters of food safety, including availability of human resources like number of Food Safety Officers, pendency of cases, facility of adjudications and appellate tribunals and creating consumer awareness.