Govt have sanctioned 30 food safety officers: Health Minister

Hyderabad: Telangana Medical and Health Minister Dr K Laxma Reddy said the government has sanctioned 30 posts of food safety officers and 10 posts of designated officers in the state for implementation of Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act.

Mr Reddy said in the Assembly that apart from sanctioning of food safety officers and designated officers, the state government also constituted 14 special teams consisting of a task force with police and food department for checking food adulteration in the state.

He said one food testing laboratory in the state located at Nacharma here. The lab has been serving for both states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The capacity to analyse food sample is about 12,600 samples per annum.

Elaborating food samples analysed during 2014-2017, Mr Reddy said 222 sample were analysed during 2014-15. Of them, 13 samples found not conforming standards (5.85 percent). In 2015-16, 1809 samples analysed. Of them 435 found not conforming standards (24 percent). 1433 samples analysed during the year 2016-17. Of them 304 found not conforming standards (11.69 percent). In 2017-18 up to September, 3788 samples analysed. Of them 250 found not conforming standards (6.59 percent), the Minister added.

With the high intensity of food adulteration, the Speaker allowed short discussion on it.