Food Safety Scores Decline in Most Large Indian States

• 03 Nov 2023

In the latest State Food Safety Index (SFSI) report by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the majority of large Indian states witnessed a decline in their food safety scores, with Maharashtra experiencing the most significant drop over a five-year period.

Key Points

• SFSI Scores Decline for Most Large States: The 2023 SFSI scores for 19 out of 20 large Indian states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, have fallen compared to their 2019 scores.
• After adjusting for a new parameter introduced in the 2023 index, 15 out of 20 states recorded lower scores in 2023 compared to 2019.
• Maharashtra Sees Sharpest Drop: Maharashtra witnessed the steepest decline in food safety scores over five years, with a score of 45 out of 100 in 2023, down from 74 out of 100 in 2019.
• Other states, such as Bihar and Gujarat, also experienced significant drops in their scores.
• Decline in 'Food Testing Infrastructure' Parameter: The 'Food Testing Infrastructure' parameter recorded the worst decline over five years, with an average score dropping from 13 points out of 20 in 2019 to 7 points out of 17 in 2023.
• Several states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat, saw lower scores in this parameter.
• SFSI Evaluation Parameters: SFSI scores are calculated based on five parameters: 'Human Resources and Institutional Data,' 'Compliance,' 'Food Testing Infrastructure,' 'Training and Capacity Building,' and 'Consumer Empowerment.'
• Introduction of 'Improvement in SFSI Rank' Parameter: In the 2023 index, a new parameter called 'Improvement in SFSI Rank' was introduced, assessing the improvement in each state's rank from the previous year.
• Weightages of other parameters were adjusted to accommodate this new parameter without exceeding a total score of 100.