Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a notice wherein it has published a list of 67 NABL accredited labs for the purpose of carrying out analysis of food samples taken under the FSS Act of 2006 and Regulations therein, which are presently valid.
Prior to this, about six months ago, the apex food regulator had notified 82 NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited labs in the official gazette of India. According to FSSAI, the recognition and validity of the labs listed in the notice shall be governed by the guidelines issued by it from time to time.
In this regard, a detailed list has been provided by the body on its website along with scope of testing, contact and validity. The list has region-wise segregation. North region that includes Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himacal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and J&K has 25 labs. In the western region, there are 21 labs. The region includes Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that comprise southern region have 17 labs while the eastern region has four labs mostly based in Kolkata.
It is pertinent to mention here that in the backdrop of Maggi noodles testing fiasco, the apex food regulator has been under constant pressure as the lab testing procedure was under criticism for lack of infrastructure and methodology. Further the apex food regulator has recently decided to device methodology for carrying out testing of the samples taken. Meanwhile, according to sources, the work to include more labs on the list is also on.
