Andhra Pradesh Government Faces Staff Crunch in Food Safety Enforcement
In a candid admission during the assembly session on Friday, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav revealed that the Andhra Pradesh government is currently unable to conduct extensive screening for adulterated food in eateries across the state. The primary reason cited is an acute shortage of personnel within the food safety wing, which has severely hampered routine inspections and surprise checks at hotels and restaurants.
Minister Responds to BJP Query on Enforcement Challenges
Responding to a question raised by BJP member Pardhasaradhi during Question Hour, Minister Satya Kumar Yadav emphasized that while food safety enforcement remains a top priority, manpower constraints have limited the department's ability to perform regular monitoring. He acknowledged that this gap has affected the state's capacity to ensure compliance with safety standards in the food industry.
Comprehensive Plan to Strengthen Food Safety Infrastructure
To address these challenges, the minister outlined a comprehensive plan aimed at bolstering food safety infrastructure. The government is establishing five ultra-modern food testing laboratories across Andhra Pradesh. These facilities are designed to significantly enhance the department's ability to test food samples scientifically, enabling stricter adherence to safety norms and more effective legal action against violators.
Progress on NABL-Accredited Laboratories
Satya Kumar Yadav provided updates on the laboratory projects, noting that two NABL-accredited laboratories in Visakhapatnam and Guntur are nearly ready to commence operations. Equipped with advanced testing equipment, these labs will detect adulteration, contamination, and substandard food products. Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) ensures the credibility and reliability of test results, which is crucial for prosecuting offenders.
Special Focus on Tirumala and Regional Balance
The minister highlighted that the Centre has sanctioned an exclusive food testing laboratory for Tirumala, considering the massive daily influx of devotees to the hill shrine. The state government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to establish this ultra-modern facility, which will focus on testing food served in temples, mutts, eateries, and other establishments catering to pilgrims.
Additionally, two more laboratories are being set up in Kurnool and Tirupati to ensure regional balance and expedite sample testing. Once all five laboratories become operational, the state expects a significant improvement in food quality monitoring and enforcement.
Addressing Staff Vacancies and Historical Context
Parallel efforts are underway to fill vacant posts and strengthen field-level enforcement. Minister Satya Kumar Yadav explained that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has approved filling nearly 150 vacancies in the department, which will help resume regular inspections of eateries in a phased manner.
During the discussion, BJP member Parthasarathi pointed out that about 50 percent of convictions in adulteration cases in India between 2019 and 2024 were from Andhra Pradesh, reflecting the scale of violations during the previous YSRC regime. He noted that Andhra Pradesh registered the highest number of cases—14,745—in the country during that period.
Key Statistics and Operational Details
- Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) Laboratory: Sanctioned strength of 279, present strength of 7, with 272 vacancies.
- New Food Testing Laboratories: Locations include Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Tirumala, Tirupati, and Kurnool.
- Food Safety Wing: Sanctioned strength of 723, present strength of 144, with 579 vacancies.
- Recent Enforcement Actions: In the last 20 months, 1,093 raids were conducted, notices served to 222 eateries, and searches in 56 eateries in February led to the seizure of 300 kg of adulterated food.
- Current Testing Process: Samples are still sent to the IPM in Hyderabad due to the absence of NABL-accredited labs in the state, which the minister described as a major hurdle in punishing culprits.
Minister Satya Kumar Yadav reiterated that the shortage of staff and laboratories has made it difficult to conduct frequent searches, but the new initiatives aim to overcome these obstacles and ensure better food safety for the people of Andhra Pradesh.
