Food Safety

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food fortification

News Highlight

Expanding PDS coverage to account for the increase in population since 2011 is a no-brainer: broaden Food safety without delay.

Key Takeaway

  • The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, through the Public Distribution System (PDS), provides a crucial safety net for roughly 800 million people.

Food Safety

  • When all people have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
  • Parliament passed the Food Security Act of 2013 to ensure food security for all Indian citizens.
  • National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013
    • The goal is to ensure that people have access to an appropriate supply of wholesome food at affordable costs, allowing them to live dignified lives.
    • Coverage and entitlement under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)
    • In case of non-supply of entitled food grains or meals, there is a provision for food security allowance to entitled beneficiaries.
    • Provisions for the publication of PDS records have been implemented to ensure accountability and transparency.

Public Distribution System (PDS)

  • About
    • The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a food safety system in India overseen by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution.
    • PDS is operated under the central and state governments’ joint responsibility.
    • PDS arose as a system of scarcity management through distributing food grains at low cost.
  • Importance of PDS
    • The minimum support price and procurement systems have increased food grain production.
    • It has aided in grain redistribution by supplying food from surplus areas of the country to deficient areas.
    • It contributes to the nation’s food and nutritional security.
    • It has helped to stabilise food prices and make food more affordable to the poor.

Other Food Safety programs in India

  • Midday Meal Scheme
    • Launched in 1995, the Ministry of Education’s Midday Meal Program is a centrally funded initiative.
    • Every student who enrols and attends the school, ages six to fourteen, is given a cooked lunch in classes I through VIII.
  • Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS)
    • It is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, launched in 1975.
    • The Scheme’s beneficiaries include pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children between the ages of 0 and 6.
    • It offers six services: referral services, non-formal education, nutrition and health education, immunisations, and health checks.
  • Mega Food Parks Scheme
    • The Ministry of Food Processing Industries introduced the programme in 2008–2009.
    • It intends to boost the food processing business by increasing value and minimising food loss at each stage of the supply chain.
    • There are 22 Mega Food Parks open for business right now. 
    • It is consistent with the Indian government’s “Make in India” and “Atma Nirbhar Bharat” visions.
  • SAMPADA Yojana
    • Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters, or SAMPADA, was introduced by MoFPI in 2016.
    • SAMPADA was changed to the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) in 2017.
    • It is a Central Sector Scheme.
    • Its aim is to supplement agriculture and create processing and preservation capacities.

Current trends, challenges and potential opportunities in the food system

  • Progress on SDG has been uneven.
    • Food safety continues to worry as various food conditions deteriorate.
    • For many of the most marginalised and disadvantaged individuals globally, the food system continues to be a source of instability in their livelihoods.
  • Biophysical, environmental, and disease trends
    • Food systems are being significantly impacted by climate change.
    • Food security is significantly impacted by threats to food safety, hazards in the food supply, pests, and emerging diseases, such as COVID-19.
  • Technology, innovation and infrastructure trends 
    • Recent years have seen growing support for innovation for sustainable agricultural production methods.
    • Some of them are agroecology, sustainable intensification, and climate-smart agriculture.
  • Political and institutional trends
    • Public sector investment in food and agriculture has decreased.
    • Civil strife and conflict jeopardise the food security of millions of people worldwide.

Way Forward

  • Urgently build more sustainable, resource-efficient and resilient food systems.
    • Support a wide range of food production and distribution networks, including territorial market arrangements.
    • Take responsible trade measures to maintain food price stability, especially in public health and emergencies.
  • Ensuring Transparency in Food Stock Holdings
    • Foodgrain banks can be established at the block/village level, from which people can obtain subsidised food grains in exchange for food coupons.
  • Using an Umbrella Approach to Address Issues
    • India can look forward to a sustainable green economy by viewing disparate issues through a standard lens, such as inequality, food diversity, indigenous rights, and environmental justice.

Pic Courtesy: The Hindu

Content Source: The Hindu

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Consider the following statements:
1. The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a food safety system in India overseen by the Ministry of Health and Family welfare.
2. PDS is operated under the central and state governments' joint responsibility.
3. One-ended Procurement is a major problem faced by the PDS system.
Which of the given statements given is correct?

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