Imphal, September 23, 2009: Government apathy in effective enforcement of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 which have been enforced across the country happened to be encouraging businessmen in selling adulterate foods in the state.

Hueiyen Lanpao investigation revealed that since the enforcement of Protection of Food Adulteration Act 1954 in the country, rules under the Act is also in force in the state of Manipur to check food adulteration.

Under the Act, state department of science and technology have been checking food adulteration by appointing a food technologist and a laboratory technician.

Apart from this following a cabinet decision, a food testing laboratory was set up in January 2008 and functioning.

In the food testing lab oratory located at RD Wing, Lamphelpat, five staffs including one regular public analysis, one laboratory assistant and a grade-IV employee are working.

An officer told that due to shortage of manpower, the laboratory is functioning in woeful state.

Such laboratory in Guwahati are manning with manpower of over 80 staffs.

Above this, two of the five staffs are working on contract basis for the last around 20 years.

State government has eight food inspectors.

They are posting at the district hospitals in Imphal East, Bishnupur, Senapati, Ukhrul and Chandel.

Imphal west and Bishnupur have no food inspectors.

Above this, one each food inspector is in the state health department and IMC.

The duty of the food inspectors is to collect foods sample when people fall victim of food poisoning and tested it at the state food laboratory.

But they are seems to be not discharging their duties well as even though there were reports of people falling victim of food adulteration, they did not send food sample for testing.

Instead of sending sample of possible adulterated food sample, they are pro viding selected standard food.

As for instance instead of collecting unbranded edible oil found in plenty in the markets, they provided sample of costly and branded Tagore oil.

This is believed to be provided by the inspector in collusion with the businessmen.

Since the start of functioning of the state food laboratory, sample of more than 150 items of food have been tested.

During the test, samples of Soyabin oil, some mustard oil tested in August, 2008 were found sub-standard.

The officer further said the laboratory is also facing poor infrastructure to conduct test with packed food with latest technology.

He also suggested for appointing qualified persons in the field at the time of appointment of staffs of the laboratory and increase of the budget allocated to the laboratory from current Rs 8 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

On the other, for the effective implementation of the Act, there is the need of opening a food laboratory at Moreh to check food items imported in the state under international border trade as the rule of the Act states that every food items imported from outside should be tested in the laboratory.

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