'Food testing laboratory is in defunct state'
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 16 2011:
Even after 17 years had passed since it was setting up, the state food testing laboratory is in defunct state.
The construction of laboratory is yet to complete apart from not procuring require food testing equipments and appointing necessary staff.
A top official of food testing laboratory which its office located inside the medical directorate complex, talking to Hueiyen Lanpao, recalled that the state food testing laboratory was set up in 1987 as a unit of the Science and Technology Department.
It was functioned for the namesake at campus of DM College.
But realizing the importance of maintaining quality of the foods, state government transferred and function under the Health Department.
But, as only two rooms were spare for running the laboratory, it could not effectively function.
Since the transferred of the laboratory to the Medical Directorate, equipments worth around Rs seven lakh have been purchased but they are yet to be installed.
A food testing lab should take up all necessary analysis related with food safety (pesticide residue, heavy metals, drug residues, residues of persistent organic compounds, microbiology, allergen testing, mycotoxins, enzymes and hormones, GM content and acrlamide) and food quality (nutritional, minerals, volatile and semi-volatile compounds and additives) analysis.
As there were no adequate laboratory instruments, chemical and apparatus and due to non-availability of reactors, testing of foods and their products that are required analysis for safety is yet to be taken up in the state, the officer asserted.
Despite, the problems facing by the officials of the laboratory, they are conducting testing to milk and its products, fats and oil and cereals and its products, he added.
As per a policy of the Central government, states has been sanctioned funds for setting up a food testing laboratory each in 2002-03 .
However, even though the state government has given assurance for completing the construction of laboratory building within five years period, the same could not be completed.
Besides, there is only five staff of the laboratory.
Government has been made known to the requirement staff as 28, the officer added.