FSSAI has decided to set up six new branch offices, four new import offices and two new food laboratories in the country
Amid the horrific outbreak of Coronavirus in China, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an alert in the country’s meat and fish market and has become active towards creating a clean and hygienic environment. The hygiene condition of fish and meat markets is not in a good condition, but efforts are being made to improve it, said FSSAI CEO Pawan Aggarwal on Monday. Moreover, it also highlighted the need for ensuring the hygiene and safety standards of meat shops and slaughterhouses in the country.
Aggarwal said that, “The problem of the novel coronavirus is being speculated to be related to the meat and fish market of Wuhan (China). The hygiene of our meat and fish shops and slaughterhouses is very critical. Slaughtering meat products in India requires a lot of hygiene up-gradation. About six to eight months FSSAI took some steps to improve the hygiene of such shops”.
Survey of Slaughterhouses to improve hygiene
“FSSAI had conducted a survey of the municipal slaughterhouses a few days ago and now a third-party audit of non-government slaughterhouses is going on. We are starting the Hygiene Rating Scheme for Meat Shop and our effort is to improve hygiene conditions”, he added.
Moreover, he added that while the coronavirus has no impact on meat products being sold in the country “but because of their awareness in the country surrounding coronavirus, we want to leverage that to improve the hygiene conditions of our meat and fish markets.”
Setting up branch offices and Food Labs
As per reports, FSSAI has decided to set up six new branch offices, four new import offices and two new food laboratories in the country. After this, FSSAI will have four regional offices, 12 branch offices, and 6 import offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. FSSAI will have four national food laboratories in Kolkata, Ghaziabad (Delhi-NCR), Mumbai JNPT and Chennai and two food laboratories in Sanoli and Raxaul on the India-Pakistan border.
The FSSAI that has already been auditing meat and fish shops, and slaughterhouses for some time now has stepped up efforts in the past six to eight months to ensure better safety and standards at such shops. The regulator is also in the process of introducing hygiene ratings for meat shops
