Lok Sabha Question No. 1263 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-28
Subject: Food Labs
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Harish Dwivedi

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

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1263 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28 TH JUNE, 2019

## FOOD LABS

## 1263. SHRI HARISH DWIVEDI:

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

- (a) the details of food testing laboratories in the country, State/UT -wis ;
- (b) the number of laboratories set up/ proposed to be set up to ensure food quality during the last three years, State/UT - wiseespecially in Uttar Pr desh; and
- (c) the time by which the said laboratories are likely to be set up?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a): The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), at present, has a networ 259 laboratories across the country. Out of these 259 laboratories, 241 are for primary recognized & notified under Section 43(1) of Food Safety and Standards ( FSS) Act, 2006 and 18 laboratories for appellate (referral) testing, recognized & notified under Section 43(2) o

The category wise distribution of these laboratories is as under -

| (a)   | Primary food testing laboratories              | Primary food testing laboratories   |
|-------|------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
|       | State food laboratories                        | 12                                  |
|       | Central Government institutes/Autonomous       | bodies 19                           |
|       | Private laboratories                           | 148                                 |
|       | State Government laboratories under transition | provision* 62                       |
|       | Total                                          | 241                                 |
| (b)   | Referral food testing laboratories             | Referral food testing laboratories  |
|       | Central Government institutes/Autonomous       | bodies 16                           |
|       | FSSAI's own laboratories                       | 02                                  |
|       | Total                                          | 18                                  |
|       | Grand Total                                    | 259                                 |

(*brought from the erstwhile Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) regime; workin under the transition provision of Section 98 of FSS act 2006)

State/UT wise number of these laboratories is at Annexure .

(b)& (c): The FSSAI recognises and notifies only those of the food laboratories belong to Central institutes/Autonomous bodies, Private sectors etc. which are accredited by N Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) or any other accreditation agency for the purposes of carrying out analysis of samples by the Food Analysts under th Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006.  During the last three years, the strength of prim testing  laboratories  and  that  of  referral      labor atories  recognised  and  notified  by  FSSAI  has increased by 81 and 4 respectively.

Further, FSSAI has provided assistance to States/UTs under a Central Sector Scheme ' Strengthening  of  Food  Testing  System  in  the  Country  including  Provision  of  Mobile  F d Testing Labs ' (SOFTeL) with a total outlay of Rs. 481.95 crores to strengthen the State Food Testing Labs and Mobile Food Testing Labs. 37 State Food Laboratories across the country been upgraded. 43 Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs) which is a mobile fo od testing lab, have been delivered to States/UTs.

In the State of Uttar Pradesh, a grant of Rs. 8.45 crore has been released for upgradation of laboratory. As regards food testing laboratories, there are 15 laboratories in the State Pradesh.

State/UT- wise number of food testing laboratories in the country

| S. No.   | State/UT                                  | Food Testing labs notified under Section 43(1)_ of FSS Act, 2006   | Food Testing labs notified under Section 43(1)_ of FSS Act, 2006   | Food Testing labs notified under Section 43(1)_ of FSS Act, 2006   | State Food Laboratories under Transition phase   | Referral Laboratories notified under Section 43(2) of FSS Act, 2006   |
|----------|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.   | State/UT                                  | Government                                                         | Government                                                         | Private                                                            | State Food Laboratories under Transition phase   | Referral Laboratories notified under Section 43(2) of FSS Act, 2006   |
| S. No.   | State/UT                                  | State                                                              | Other Institutions 1                                               | Private                                                            | State Food Laboratories under Transition phase   | Referral Laboratories notified under Section 43(2) of FSS Act, 2006   |
| 1 2      | Andhra Pradesh Assam                      | - -                                                                |                                                                    |                                                                    |                                                  |                                                                       |
|          |                                           |                                                                    |                                                                    | 5                                                                  | 1                                                | 1                                                                     |
|          |                                           |                                                                    | - - -                                                              | -                                                                  | 1                                                | - - -                                                                 |
| 3 4      | Bihar Chhattisgarh Daman& Diu             | -                                                                  | -                                                                  | - - 1                                                              | 1 1 -                                            | -                                                                     |
|          | GNCT of Delhi                             | - - -                                                              | -                                                                  |                                                                    |                                                  |                                                                       |
| 5 6 7    | Goa                                       | -                                                                  |                                                                    | 19                                                                 |                                                  |                                                                       |
| 8        |                                           | 4                                                                  |                                                                    |                                                                    | 1 1 1                                            | - - 1                                                                 |
|          |                                           |                                                                    | - - -                                                              | 1 10 14                                                            | 2                                                |                                                                       |
| 9        | Gujarat                                   |                                                                    |                                                                    |                                                                    |                                                  | -                                                                     |
| 10 11    | Haryana                                   | -                                                                  |                                                                    |                                                                    |                                                  |                                                                       |
|          | Himachal Pradesh Jammu &Kashmir Jharkhand | - - -                                                              | - - -                                                              | 1 1 1                                                              | 1 2 1                                            | -                                                                     |
|          |                                           |                                                                    | -                                                                  |                                                                    | 5                                                | - - 2                                                                 |
| 12       | Karnataka                                 |                                                                    |                                                                    | 13                                                                 | -                                                |                                                                       |
| 13       |                                           | -                                                                  |                                                                    |                                                                    |                                                  |                                                                       |
| 14 15    | Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra         | 3 - 2                                                              | 6                                                                  | 6                                                                  |                                                  | 2 -                                                                   |
|          | Manipur                                   | -                                                                  | - 2 -                                                              | 8 25 -                                                             | 1 15                                             |                                                                       |
| 16       |                                           | -                                                                  |                                                                    |                                                                    |                                                  | 3                                                                     |
| 17       | Meghalaya Nagaland                        | -                                                                  |                                                                    | - -                                                                | 1 1 1                                            | - - -                                                                 |
| 18 19    |                                           |                                                                    | - -                                                                | 1                                                                  | 1                                                |                                                                       |
|          |                                           |                                                                    |                                                                    | -                                                                  |                                                  |                                                                       |
| 20 21    | Odisha Puducherry Punjab                  | -                                                                  | -                                                                  |                                                                    |                                                  | - - 1                                                                 |
|          |                                           | -                                                                  | -                                                                  |                                                                    | 1                                                | -                                                                     |
| 22       | Rajasthan Sikkim                          | -                                                                  | 1                                                                  | 2                                                                  | 1 8 1                                            |                                                                       |
| 23 24 25 |                                           | - - -                                                              | 1 - 1                                                              | 5 -                                                                | 6                                                | -                                                                     |
|          | Nadu                                      | 1                                                                  | -                                                                  | 17                                                                 | -                                                |                                                                       |
|          | Tamil Telangana                           |                                                                    |                                                                    |                                                                    |                                                  | 2                                                                     |
| 26 27 28 |                                           |                                                                    |                                                                    | 9                                                                  |                                                  | 3 - 2                                                                 |
| 29       | Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand         | - 2 -                                                              | 1 3 -                                                              | - 4 1                                                              | 1 4 1                                            | -                                                                     |
|          |                                           |                                                                    |                                                                    | 4                                                                  |                                                  |                                                                       |
| 30       | West Bengal                               | -                                                                  | 3                                                                  |                                                                    | 1                                                | 1                                                                     |
|          | Total                                     | 12                                                                 | 19                                                                 | 148                                                                | 62                                               | 18                                                                    |