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.