Berhampur: The Berhampur Circle Jail in Odisha’s Ganjam district has received ‘Eat Right Campus’ certificate from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), an official said Saturday.
The ‘Eat Right Campuses’ is an initiative by FSSAI to promote safe, healthy and sustainable food practices in various campuses like workplaces, educational institutions, and hospitals, aiming to improve the health of people.
The FSSAI under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued the certificate to Berhampur Circle Jail for a period of two years from March 24, 2025, to March 23, 2027, with three stars for satisfactory compliance, the official said.
With this prestigious certification, the 162-year-old jail has demonstrated its dedication to the food safety and well-being of its inmates, said senior superintendent of the jail, D N Barik.
He said the ‘Eat Right Campus certification process involved rigorous assessment and adherence to FSSAI’s prescribed evaluation criteria.
He said the jail campus undergoes comprehensive audits to ensure compliance with some parameters, including basic hygiene, and steps to ensure the provision of healthy food to the jail inmates.
Once enrolled the campus first undergoes a third-party audit by an FSSAI empanelled agency to get the prestigious certification, he added.
Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) has extended its helping hands to the jail to get this certification, said Barik. He said they prepared the food by cooking for 1,000 inmates every day in hygienic conditions and served it to the jail inmates. The food is being prepared as per the menus prescribed by the government, he added.
A total of 50 jail staff and prisoners have obtained food safety training and certification after they completed their training on basic catering held in the jail.
The FSSAI has also provided food safety certificate to products produced by the jail inmates for a period of one year, he said.
The jail inmates have produced products like atta, besan, mustard oil, ragi powder and handloom items like bed sheets, towels, etc in its food processing and handloom units, he added.
