Mumbai: After operating with just five food safety officers (FSOs) for nearly a year, the city’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to appoint at least 40 new FSOs by June 7, in a bid to address a severe staffing shortfall. The drug department under the FDA is similarly stretched thin with only five field officers in the city. It may take another year to reach its required strength of 25 to 30 here.Officials say the shortage significantly hampered inspections and enforcement, overburdening the limited staff. Following action taken against a Zepto facility in Dharavi on Sunday, FDA officials admitted they currently lack the manpower to inspect similar warehouses operated by delivery platforms.“Food safety officers are the field workers who conduct sampling and routine inspections. Without adequate numbers, essential tasks like testing for milk adulteration or checking ice quality can’t happen at the large scale required,” said Mangesh Mane, joint commissioner (Food). Although over 40 officers are expected to be appointed within days, Mane said training will take another month or two. “We expect them to join the workforce by October,” he added.FDA commissioner Rajesh Narvekar said the food division has 350 sanctioned posts, but only 132 are filled, leaving a gap of 218 officers. After repeated proposals to the govt and the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, 194 food safety officers and 8 assistant commissioners were finally selected, bringing the department’s total strength to just over 300. However, according to food safety norms, one officer per 1,000 food business operators, the FDA needs at least 1,100 officers. The drug department, meanwhile, has 200 sanctioned posts but only 48 filled, with 152 vacancies still open. A revised recruitment proposal has been submitted to MPSC, but officials say it will take another year. The persistent shortfall is largely due to a prolonged pause in recruitment drives and a wave of retirements, promotions, and transfers over the past year or more. “We are meeting our targets by working extra hours. Leaves are being sacrificed, but we’re trying not to let it affect our functioning,” said an official from the drug department.Still, gaps remain. “There’s no major problem due to shortfall in issuing manufacturing licenses after conducting their inspections,” said Narvekar. “The problem is in monitoring retailers and wholesalers,” he added. Abhay Pandey, president of the All Food and Drug Licence Holders Foundation, warned of serious public health consequences. “Random sampling at retail stores and distributor levels simply isn’t happening for more than a year at a scale it should. Without it, there’s no way to ensure quality control,” he said.