Bengaluru: In a significant development, the Karnataka government has issued an order merging the Department of Food Safety and Standards with the Drug Control Department. It is now renamed as the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) with immediate effect.
The merged department will be headed by the Commissioner of the Food Safety and Standards Department, who has been appointed as the chief of the new entity, according to the directive. This decision was issued based on the approval given by the finance department and with the consent of the Cabinet.
States like Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu have already merged their Drug Control Departments with Food Safety and Standards Departments under a unified Commissioner for Food Safety and Drug Administration. A similar merger is deemed necessary in Karnataka to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of services, said the government.
Commissioner of the Food Safety and Standards Department has been appointed as the head of the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) Department. All officers and staff from both departments are directed to function under the administrative control of the Commissioner of the FDA, as stated in the order.
In light of this order, the FDA Commissioner is directed to immediately submit appropriate proposals to the government regarding the creation of service rules and recruitment regulations, amendments to existing laws/rules, and other necessary changes related to the restructuring of the renamed department.
Under the Health and Family Welfare Department, the Drug Control Department and the Food Safety and Standards Department currently operate as separate entities. The Drug Control Department has been functioning as an independent department since 1956, with the Drug Controller as its head. The primary objective of this department is to ensure the availability of high-quality, safe, and effective drugs to consumers at controlled prices. This is achieved through the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, related rules, and other regulations. The department comprises administrative and enforcement wings, drug testing laboratories, and a pharmacy education division.
The Food Safety and Standards Department operates under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with the Commissioner, Joint Commissioners, and Deputy Commissioners at the state level, supported by designated officers and food safety officers at the district level. The department also manages four divisional food laboratories in Bengaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, and Mysuru. These are staffed with chief food analysts, food analysts, and junior food analysts. It also includes administrative officers, statistical officers, office superintendents, first-grade assistants, and second-grade assistants in its administrative offices.
The Food Safety and Standards Department focuses on preventing food adulteration, ensuring the availability of high-quality food, and promoting nutritional food for public welfare. It oversees licensing and registration for food businesses involved in production, storage, distribution, and sale. The department also collects food samples for testing in laboratories to ensure quality and takes legal action in case of substandard or unsafe products.
According to the state government, key justifications for the merger was that both departments functions overlapped, focusing on ensuring high-quality food and medicines for public welfare. A unified structure under the Commissioner of Food Safety and Standards Department would streamline operations and offer better, more impactful services to the public. Also merging the drug control department with the food safety and standards department, the public can benefit from more comprehensive, high-quality facilities under a single administrative framework. Hence, it was proposed to merge enabling the delivery of more efficient and qualitative services to the public, said the government.
