AP Ranks Low In Food Safety
Crores spent, but no operational lab yet; corrupt officials undercut safety rules; people’s health compromised
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2025-09-21 18:52 GMT
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh ranks lowest in food safety among all states, holding the 28th position in the Food Safety Index (SFSI) for 2023-24.
The state consistently remained at the bottom of this index since 2018-19, but there have been no governmental attempts to change the scenario for the better. States like Odisha and Telangana have more effective systems to ensure food safety.
At the core of the problem are corruption and the lack of an operational state food laboratory. Although a facility was established at the regional public health laboratory in Pedawaltair, Visakhapatnam, to enhance food safety standards, it is largely not operational.
On February 25, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated a microbiology laboratory at the AP food testing laboratory in Visakhapatnam under the Vikasit Bharat initiative. The lab was constructed with an allocation of `4.77 crore from a centrally sponsored scheme. The food safety commissioner issued a work order to Asian Scientific Industries, New Delhi, for its establishment.
During the inauguration, then-collector A Mallikarjuna announced the appointment of 80 technical staff. He stated that the lab would serve the northern coastal region, handling samples related to various diseases.
However, according to sources, approximately `20 crore was spent on construction and an additional `5 crore on equipment and chemicals. Despite this investment, the lab remains non-functional due to a so-called “shortage of staff,” hampering the testing of samples collected during inspections by the food safety and standards department, which is known to be hugely corrupt.
Even a decade after the state's bifurcation, food samples still need to be sent to Hyderabad for testing. Although the central government sanctioned three food testing laboratories for AP and allocated `30 crore for each, none is operational. A disinterest at the official level is palpable.
The state-of-the-art equipment, worth ` 20 crore, that was delivered over a year ago, remains unused due to the lack of staff in the Vizag facility.
The Visakhapatnam lab alone stores 60 advanced instruments, including hot air ovens, muffle furnaces, water baths, LC-MS, GC-MS, ICP-MS, balances, autoclaves, and microscopes. These instruments are essential for testing food quality, chemical contamination, toxic substances and water safety.
Experts warn that the chemicals stored in the lab may degrade over time, rendering them ineffective.
The Vizag lab is capable of testing 17 categories of food items, including biscuits, milk, dairy products, oils and soft drinks, but is non-functional. The reason cited is, “lack of staff.”
Although the government had announced plans to appoint 75 staff members, there has been no action yet. Inspections continue to be a sham; and bribe-taking rampant to scuttle rules of food-safety. Festival-eve seasons are however occasions for raids on eateries, the main obsession of the officials being to extract hefty bribes. Ministers are game with this state of affairs.
In March 2025, health minister Satya Kumar Yadav revealed in the state assembly that the food safety wing was critically understaffed, with only six employees working against a sanctioned strength of 239. He said 95 per cent of the 138 sanctioned posts in state laboratories remained vacant. However, no recruitment has been carried out to date.
At the core of the problem are corruption and the lack of an operational state food laboratory. Although a facility was established at the regional public health laboratory in Pedawaltair, Visakhapatnam, to enhance food safety standards, it is largely not operational.
On February 25, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated a microbiology laboratory at the AP food testing laboratory in Visakhapatnam under the Vikasit Bharat initiative. The lab was constructed with an allocation of `4.77 crore from a centrally sponsored scheme. The food safety commissioner issued a work order to Asian Scientific Industries, New Delhi, for its establishment.
During the inauguration, then-collector A Mallikarjuna announced the appointment of 80 technical staff. He stated that the lab would serve the northern coastal region, handling samples related to various diseases.
However, according to sources, approximately `20 crore was spent on construction and an additional `5 crore on equipment and chemicals. Despite this investment, the lab remains non-functional due to a so-called “shortage of staff,” hampering the testing of samples collected during inspections by the food safety and standards department, which is known to be hugely corrupt.
Even a decade after the state's bifurcation, food samples still need to be sent to Hyderabad for testing. Although the central government sanctioned three food testing laboratories for AP and allocated `30 crore for each, none is operational. A disinterest at the official level is palpable.
The state-of-the-art equipment, worth ` 20 crore, that was delivered over a year ago, remains unused due to the lack of staff in the Vizag facility.
The Visakhapatnam lab alone stores 60 advanced instruments, including hot air ovens, muffle furnaces, water baths, LC-MS, GC-MS, ICP-MS, balances, autoclaves, and microscopes. These instruments are essential for testing food quality, chemical contamination, toxic substances and water safety.
Experts warn that the chemicals stored in the lab may degrade over time, rendering them ineffective.
The Vizag lab is capable of testing 17 categories of food items, including biscuits, milk, dairy products, oils and soft drinks, but is non-functional. The reason cited is, “lack of staff.”
Although the government had announced plans to appoint 75 staff members, there has been no action yet. Inspections continue to be a sham; and bribe-taking rampant to scuttle rules of food-safety. Festival-eve seasons are however occasions for raids on eateries, the main obsession of the officials being to extract hefty bribes. Ministers are game with this state of affairs.
In March 2025, health minister Satya Kumar Yadav revealed in the state assembly that the food safety wing was critically understaffed, with only six employees working against a sanctioned strength of 239. He said 95 per cent of the 138 sanctioned posts in state laboratories remained vacant. However, no recruitment has been carried out to date.