Guwahati: Goa, Manipur, and Meghalaya have been declared as the top 3 smaller states for ensuring food security in 2019-20 by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
At the same time, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra have topped in the category of larger states in the index. Chandigarh, Delhi, and Andaman Islands secured top ranks in the Union Territories list in the index.
This is the second index that was released by the FSSAI on the occasion of Food Safety Day and a webinar was held to address the various health concerns in Covid-19 times.
It is pertinent to mention here that the FSSAI has also released an e-handbook on "Eat Right during COVID-19" for citizens"."This document specifies hygiene and sanitary requirements, the responsibility of management and sector-specific requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the food supply chain along with a section on management of food establishments on the identification of COVID-19 positive cases," an official statement said.
An updated detailed guidance note 'Food Hygiene and Safety Guidelines for Food Businesses during Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic' was also released.
Preeti Sudan, secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that as India is lifting the lockdown, we need to ensure adequate precautions are taken in restaurants and food service and delivery establishments. She added that the Government must emphasize food safety through social media and other communication platforms.
India's Health Minister Harshvardhan said that food safety is everyone's responsibility. "Ensure it's safe, Grow it safe, Keep it safe, Eat it safe and Team up for safety", he said in the webinar.food safety,