Quality control out of dairy department

The Dairy Development Department will no longer be authorised to undertake quality control of milk and milk products as per a direction issued by the Food Safety Commissioner citing the rules and regulations of Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act.The department had been doing the job for close to two decades now.

Licence

As per the FSS Act, designated officers and Food Safety Officers would be authorised to issue licence to dairy plants and undertake inspection, testing, and analysis of milk and milk products, a domain of the Dairy Development Department ever since the Milk and Milk Products Order (MMPO) came in to force in 1992.

In a letter addressed to the department Director, dated December 27 last year, the State Food Safety Commissioner turned down the department's request to appoint its Assistant Directors (quality control officers) as designated officers.The letter noted that the core responsibility of Assistant Directors was ‘to improve the milk and fodder production and to impart extension work among farmers and not regulatory works as envisaged in FSS Act Rules and Regulations.'

Concern

V. Unni, State president of the Dairy Officers' Association, told The Hindu that the decision would hit quality control of milk and milk products as it would take time before other trained designated officers assumed duties.“The FSS Act permits States to co-opt the services of departments concerned in discharging various duties. Moreover, with 3,000-odd food commodities in the marker how effectively can the designated officers ensure quality of all those products on their own,” Mr. Unni said.

Directions

When contacted, Food Safety Commissioner S. Raveendran confirmed that the Dairy Development Department will not be authorised to conduct parallel operations but will have to follow the directions of the designated officer, who will be the statutory authority henceforth.

Reiterating the point mentioned in the letter, he said diverging duties to officers under other departments will defeat the very purpose of the FSS Act, which was promulgated by repealing food-related laws like MMPO to eliminate multi-departmental control and bring in an integrated line of command.

He shot down the argument that time taken to train designated officers would affect quality control measures. “Training of officers in the southern and central regions had been completed,” Mr. Raveendran said.

Isaac K. Thayil, State general secretary of Dairy Officers Association, felt the expertise and experience of the department's officials will be sorely missed.

Qualified

“Most of our officials hold degree and postgraduate degree in dairy technology and are qualified to undertake quality control measures like inspection of dairy plants, warehouses of manufactures of dairy products, and collection and testing of market samples. Besides, we already have two State-of-the-art labs and quality control labs in all 14 districts,” he said.

Checks

He said the department had been doing commendable quality control checks over the years, especially during festive seasons resulting in the ban of five brands in the State during the last four to five years

Source: http://www.thehindu.com