Food adulteration continues to pose a serious public health challenge in India, with nearly one out of every five food samples failing safety standards nationwide. Data placed before the Rajya Sabha under the Food Safety and Standards Act reveals widespread non-compliance across states over the past two financial years.
In FY 2024–25, authorities tested 1,70,535 food samples across India, of which 34,388 were found non-conforming — a failure rate of around 20 percent. A similar pattern emerged in FY 2023–24, when 33,808 out of 1,70,513 samples failed to meet safety norms. In the ongoing FY 2025–26 so far, 27,567 out of 1,55,306 samples have already been declared non-compliant.
Against this backdrop, Odisha’s performance appears relatively better. The state recorded 252 non-conforming samples out of 2,003 tested in FY 2023–24 (around 12.6 percent), and 273 failures out of 2,282 samples in FY 2024–25 (about 11.9 percent). While this is lower than the national average, it still means that more than one in ten tested food items in Odisha failed safety standards.
However, a closer look at the testing volume raises important questions. In FY 2024–25, Uttar Pradesh tested over 30,000 samples, Tamil Nadu more than 18,000, Rajasthan nearly 14,000, and West Bengal over 14,500. Odisha, by comparison, tested just 2,282 samples.
Experts point out that lower sampling often leads to lower detection, particularly in states with large rural populations, tribal belts, and informal food markets. This raises concerns that Odisha’s relatively lower failure rate may not fully reflect the ground reality.
