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This is an archive article published on March 20, 2024

FSSAI sets up lab network to test food for pathogens

“These labs will help test food for microbial contamination that can lead to spoilage of food and potential health risks,” said a senior health official of FSSAI.

FSSAI, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, food poisoning and diarrhoea, food, pathogens, Indian express news, current affairsThere were over 1,100 outbreaks of acute diarrhoeal disease across the country in the last four years and nearly 550 outbreaks of food poisoning.

With food poisoning and diarrhoea becoming a common occurrence, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is working towards creating a network of 34 microbiology labs across the country that will be equipped to test food products for 10 pathogens, including E coli, salmonella and listeria.

“These labs will help test food for microbial contamination that can lead to spoilage of food and potential health risks,” said a senior health official of FSSAI.

Another official said: “In fact, diarrhoea and food poisoning is so common that most people do not even report such instances. However, it is the job of the department to ensure that the food is safe. These labs will be able to test the food samples collected during routine surveillance for microbes now.”

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Data from the National Centre for Disease Control, which tracks the trajectory of several diseases every week, shows that acute diarrhoeal disease and food poisoning were the two most common outbreaks in the country. There were over 1,100 outbreaks of acute diarrhoeal disease across the country in the last four years and nearly 550 outbreaks of food poisoning.

However, none of the state food safety labs are currently equipped to test for pathogens as they require maintaining live reference samples, expensive reagents and a microbiologist.

“There are 79 state food testing laboratories in the country, but none of them really tests for microbes. They are equipped to test for protein or carbohydrate content of a food item to see whether it has what is written on the pack,” said the official.

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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