CAG pulls up food regulator

The CAG has pulled up food regulator The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for issuing licences to business operators without complete documents. It said 65 of the 72 State food laboratories, to which the FSSAI and the State authorities had sent samples, did not possess the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories accreditation.

The auditor said the FSSAI had failed in ensuring that the customs authorities followed up the ‘Non-Conformance Reports’ issued by the regulator and take appropriate action to ensure that unsafe foods did not enter the country.

The CAG noted that there were “systemic inefficiencies, delays and deficiencies in the framing of various regulations and standards, amendments to regulations in violation of the Act and the specific direction of the Supreme Court”. The performance audit on food safety was conducted in 10 selected States.

A test check of three Central and five State licensing authorities had found that in 3,119 of the 5,915 cases licenses had been issued to FBOs (food business operators) on the basis of incomplete documents, it added.

“Shortage of qualified manpower and functional food testing equipment in State laboratories and referral laboratories resulted in deficient testing of samples,” the CAG said.

Neither the FSSAI nor the State authorities documented policies and procedures on risk-based inspections, the report said, adding that the regulator did not have any database on food business.