Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the number of food poisoning cases is increasing and the government claims safety checks are held regularly across the state, Kerala ranked only seventh in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's 'State Food Safety Index' in 2022.
In the 2020-21 index, Kerala stood second with 70 points, just behind Gujarat (72 points). Within a year, the southern state has slipped five places. In the 2021-22 index, Kerala managed to score just 57 points, whereas Tamil Nadu topped the list with 82 points.
Besides Tamil Nadu, Kerala is preceded by Gujarat, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh in the index.
As per the statistics, Kerala has spent Rs 4.24 crore on inspections in the last five years up to August 2022. Though the health department had announced that a food testing lab would be opened in each district, it is yet to become a reality.
At present, there are testing labs in only five districts of the state. However, none of them possesses a NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accreditation. The nine new labs that had been announced remain on paper.
Courts will accept seized samples only if they are tested in accredited labs. Steps to modernise labs and secure accreditation are also slow.
Though the number of tests conducted has gone up since the death of teen girl Devananda of food poisoning in May 2021, the Food Safety Department has a long way to go.
