Srinagar, Jun 8 (IANS): In a significant achievement, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has maintained its first rank under the union territory (UT) category in Food Safety Index 2022-23.

The Department of Food and Drugs Administration, J&K, received the award third time in a row for 2021, 2022 and 2023, an official statement said on Thursday.

The index is released annually by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to measure the performance of states and UTs on various parameters of food safety.

The award was received by Food Safety Commissioner Shakeel-ul-Rehman from Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

"The Jammu and Kashmir also won first prize for having maximum number of 'Eat Right Mela' districts in the country. These districts have implemented various initiatives of FSSAI to promote healthy and safe food habits among the consumers," the statement added.

The Food Safety Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all states/UTs.

The FSSAI began the State Food Safety Index evaluation process for 2022-2023 by undertaking correspondence with Food Safety Commissioners of all UTs/states to furnish the data for statistical evaluation.

The critical indicator on the basis of which evaluation is done included human resource, compliance levels, food testing infrastructure and surveillance, training and capacity building, besides consumer empowerment.