FSSAI CEO reviews food testing facilities in J&K, capacity expansion discussed
Srinagar, Aug 17: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Rajit Punhani on Monday reviewed the functioning and infrastructure of the Food Laboratory, Kashmir, during his visit to Srinagar, with a detailed assessment of its testing capabilities and requirements for capacity expansion.
Punhani, Secretary to the Government of India and CEO, FSSAI, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, visited the laboratory to assess its functioning and interacted with technical staff after inspecting its microbiological, chemical and HEE sections.
He later chaired a meeting attended by the Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, J&K, State Drug Controller, Joint Commissioner Food Safety, Deputy Commissioner Food Safety Kashmir, Accounts Officer FDA and Food Analysts from the food testing laboratories in Srinagar and Jammu.
During the meeting, the Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, J&K, made a detailed presentation on the laboratory’s analytical capabilities, testing performance, NABL accreditation, infrastructure, manpower and the proposed roadmap for strengthening food testing facilities across the Union Territory.
Officials said the Food Laboratory, Kashmir is an FSSAI-notified and NABL-accredited facility equipped with advanced analytical instruments, including GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS and ICP-MS. Its present NABL scope covers 354 parameters, comprising 77 quality and 277 safety parameters.
The laboratory analysed 11,479 samples during 2023-24, 9,938 during 2024-25 and 6,722 during 2025-26. Of these, 440, 266 and 381 samples, respectively, were found to be non-conforming.
The meeting was informed that steps have been initiated to substantially expand the laboratory’s testing scope to 3,500 parameters by March 31, 2027, covering key commodities such as milk and milk products, fruits and vegetables, cereals and cereal products, oils and fats and Indian sweets. The department has set a long-term target of expanding the testing scope to 5,000 parameters.
The department also apprised the FSSAI CEO of infrastructure and manpower constraints affecting the laboratory’s functioning and sought intervention for approval of additional technical manpower, chemicals, certified reference materials and other essential consumables.
The J&K administration also sought financial and technical assistance from FSSAI for construction of dedicated laboratory buildings in Srinagar and Jammu and upgrading existing facilities to enhance the volume and range of food testing.
Officials said the Food Laboratory, Kashmir is currently housed in an old, shared Drug and Food Laboratory complex, with limited space for modern equipment and dedicated instrument sections, constraining further expansion of its analytical capabilities.
As part of a long-term strategy, the department proposed developing an integrated food testing laboratory network across Jammu and Kashmir by leveraging existing facilities at government institutions, including SKUAST and IUST, with appropriate technical and manpower support.
The proposed network is aimed at expanding overall testing capacity and facilitating timely analysis of food samples collected from different parts of the Union Territory.
Punhani expressed satisfaction with the functioning of the laboratory and called upon the J&K FDA authorities to continue efforts towards strengthening its infrastructure and analytical capabilities.
The visit is expected to provide further impetus to efforts aimed at modernising food testing infrastructure, expanding NABL-accredited testing capacity and establishing a stronger and more integrated food laboratory network across Jammu and Kashmir.
