Lok Sabha Question No. 2303 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-11
Subject: Food Testing Labs
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: VISHNU DAYAL RAM

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO. 2303 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH MARCH, 2016

## FOOD TESTING LABS

## 2303. SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

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

- (a) the number of Government and private labs working for the testing of the quality o items, State/UT - wise;

- (b) the average number of sample of food items per year tested in the said Government alongwith the average time of its test report;

- (c)  whether  the  Government  are  contemplating  to  increase  the  number  of  such  labs  for speedy testing of food items; and

- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA)

- (a): Presently,  there  are  168  Food  Testing  Laboratories  for  testing  food  products  a standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act and regulations thereunder, following de tails: -

- (i) 72 State/Public food laboratories functioning under the State/ Government;

- (ii) 14 Referral Laboratories notified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of (FSSAI) for referral testing; and

- (iii) 82 National  Accreditation  Board  fo r  Testing  and  Calibration  Laboratories  ( NABL) accredited private laboratories notified by FSSAI.

State - wise details is at annexure.

Contd………

Union

Terri

- (b) : The number of samples analysed in Government labs in the preceding 3 years is as under:

| Year     |   No. of samples analysed |
|----------|---------------------------|
| 2012- 13 |                     69949 |
| 2013- 14 |                     72200 |
| 2014- 15 |                     74010 |

The food testing laboratories have to adhere to the timeline prescribed in the Food and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 and Rules thereunder . Under rule 2.4.2.5 of the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011, a time limit of 14 days is prescribed for the food analyst to report. It is further provided that in case the sample cannot be analysed within 14 da receipt, the Food Anal yst shall  inform the Designated Officer and the Commissioner of Food Safety  giving  reasons  and  specifying  the  time  to  be  taken  for  analysis.  However,  in imported  article  of  food,  under  sub - section  (5)  of  section  47  of  FSS  Act,  the  notified  lab required to send the report within a period of five days to the authorized officer.

(c)& (d): FSSAI has initiated action to upgrade its food testing laboratories. Upgrad ion and setting up of State food testing laboratories is the responsibility o f State Governments.

……………..

## Annexure

## State -wise list of Food Testing Laboratories

| Sr. No.   | State/UT                  | Number of State/ Public Food Laboratories   | Number of Food Labs*   | Referral Number of NABL Accredited Private Labs notified by FSSAI   |
|-----------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.        | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh            | 1                                           | 1                      | -                                                                   |
| 3.        | Assam                     | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 4.        | Bihar                     | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 5.        | Chhattisgarh              | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 6.        | Daman & Diu               | -                                           | -                      | 1                                                                   |
| 7.        | GNCT of Delhi             | 1                                           | -                      | 11                                                                  |
| 8.        | Goa                       | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 9.        | Gujarat                   | 6                                           | 1                      | 3                                                                   |
| 10.       | Haryana                   | 2                                           | -                      | 8                                                                   |
| 11.       | Himachal Pradesh          | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 12.       | Jammu & Kashmir           | 2                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 13.       | Jharkhand                 | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 14.       | Karnataka                 | 4                                           | 2                      | 7                                                                   |
| 15.       | Kerala                    | 3                                           | 1                      | 5                                                                   |
| 16.       | Madhya Pradesh            | 3                                           | -                      | 3                                                                   |
| 17.       | Maharashtra               | 11                                          | 2                      | 18                                                                  |
| 18.       | Meghalaya                 | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 19.       | Nagaland                  | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 20.       | Odisha                    | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 21.       | Puducherry                | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 22.       | Punjab                    | 3                                           | -                      | 2                                                                   |
| 23.       | Rajasthan                 | 8                                           | -                      | 3                                                                   |
| 24.       | Tamil Nadu                | 7                                           | 2                      | 7                                                                   |
| 25.       | Telangana                 | 1                                           | 2                      | 5                                                                   |
| 26.       | Tripura                   | 1                                           | -                      | -                                                                   |
| 27.       | Uttar Pradesh             | 3                                           | 2                      | 3                                                                   |
| 28.       | Uttarakhand               | -                                           | -                      | 1                                                                   |
| 29.       | West Bengal               | 5                                           | 1                      | 5                                                                   |
|           | Total                     | 72                                          | 14                     | 82                                                                  |

*The Referral Food Laboratories work as appellate laboratories for the purpose of analys appeal samples of food lifted by the Food Safety Officers of the State/UTs and local bodies an the imported food samples.