Lok Sabha Question No. 1810 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-25
Subject: Food Testing Laboratories
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: SUDHEER GUPTA, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, T. RADHAKRISHNAN, SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD, KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, VIJAY KUMAR S.R., BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO, ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1810 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH NOVEMBER, 2016

## FOOD TESTING LABORAT ORIES

1810. SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR: SHRI T. RADHAKRISHNAN: DR. SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD: KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH: SHRI S.R. VIJAYAKUMAR: SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO: SHRI AS H OK SHANKARRAO CHA W AN:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the High Court of Mumbai has recently observed that there is an urgent need to upgrade the food testing laboratories of the country, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced a scheme to  strengthen  the in frastructure  of  food  testing  laboratories in  t he  country  recently,  if  so,  the details thereof and the expenditure likely to be incurred for this purpose;
- (c) whether the Government has constituted an empowered Committee for implementing the said scheme and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  the  details  of  the  States/UTs  which have  sent  proposals  to  the  Union Government  for strengthening their food testing infrastructure in their States/UTs?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI FAGGAN SINGH KULASTE)

- (a): The  Hon'ble  High  Court  of  Bombay  in  Writ  Petition  2535  of  2015  observed  that the laboratories  where  the  food  samples  were  tested  were  either  not  accredited  by  NABL  or recognized by the food authority unde r section 43(1) of the Act or even if they were accredite or notified, they were not accredited to make analysis in respect of lead in the samples.
- (b): A  Central  Sector  Scheme  for  'Strengthening  of  Food  Testing  System  in  the  Country Including Provision of Mobile Food Testing Labs', with an outlay of Rs.481.96 cr., has recently been  approved  by  the  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare.  The  Scheme  has  six  majo components viz., (i) s trengthening of 45 State Food Testing labs (atleast one in each state w h a provision of 2 labs in large states); (ii) strengthening of Referral Food Testing Labs; ( for 62 Mobile Food labs (one mobile lab for every 20 district with a provision of atl mobile  lab  in  each  state);  (iv)  c apacity  building  of  foo d  testing  laboratories  personnel;  (v) incentivising  States  to  utilise  the  testing  facilities  available  in  the  Food  safety  an Authority of India (FSSAI) notified Labs; and (vi) S chool Food & Hygiene Programme.

(c):  An  Empowered  Committee  has  been  constituted  on  6.10.2016  to  guide  and  oversee  th implementation of the said scheme. The composition of the Empowered Committee  is as under

- I. Chairperson, FSSAI
- II. Chief Executive Officer, FSSAI
- III. Nominee Department of Hea lth and FW
- IV. Dr. S.K. Saxena, Director, Export Inspection Council of India
- V. Representative of NABL
- VI. Dr. Lalita Gowda, Chief Scientist (Retired), CFTRI, Mysore
- VII. Representative of Ministry of Food Processing Industries
- VIII. Head (QA), FSSAI

(d):  The  FSSAI  has  rece ived  proposals  for  strengthening  of State  food  testing  labs  from 23 States /UTs ., Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and  Andama & Nicobar Islands.