Aug 29, 2017

High Court seeks updated info on accreditation of Food Testing Laboratories

Directs Govt To Appoint Full-Time Food Safety Commissioner Under FSS Act
The High Court on Monday directed the state government to inform it by September 23 about the accreditation of food testing labs with National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, a division bench of Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Kumar sought an updated status report on the authentication and accreditation of the two food testing labs - Public Health Lab Dalgate Srinagar and Public Health Lab Patoli Jammu.
The directions came after the court was informed that trainings have been started before applying for the accreditation under NABL and Dr Lalitha R Gowda, chief scientist (Retd), Central Food Technological Research Institute, has been engaged for consultation on authentication of food labs.
On July 18 this year, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had told the High Court that the two food testing labs in the state are not accredited with NABL, which is otherwise mandatory.
Before issuing directions, the court today heard at length senior advocate and Amicus curie Bashir Ahmad Bashir and also additional advocate general Muhammad Iqbal Dar.
Observing that though the charge of commissioner food safety is held by Pawan Kotwal, commissioner secretary Health and Medical Education, the court underscored that there should be, indispensably in place, a full time commissioner food safety under Food Safety and Standards Act.
This, the court said, after it was informed that the finance department has already cleared the proposal for creation of commissioner food safety post and full time commissioner would be appointed very soon.
The court also sought status report on appointment of food safety officers by September end, after it was apprised that state Services Selection Board has already conducted examination of the candidates who have applied for the post and the final selection list will be out by September 30.
Counsel, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Mehmood Pracha, today submitted before the court that till the equipments are placed in food testing laboratories, the food officers can be directed to check the labels of packaged food articles under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
“Till the functioning of labs and after the requisite equipments are installed, the food safety officers can check packaged food products and verify as to whether the labels are in accordance with Food Safety and Standards (Labeling and Regulations) Act 2011.”
In case of any deviation, court said, appropriate action under the Act as also regulation be taken and sought status report by next hearing. 
While the court was informed that Ashok Kumar Koul has been appointed as presiding officer for the food tribunal Jammu, it directed that support staff should be made available for the functioning of the tribunal in Srinagar also.
The court was also informed that the latest equipments have been installed in the food testing laboratory at Dalgate here and for complete installation it will take two to three days.
The court termed the status report filed by M I Dar as satisfactory.

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