SRINAGAR: Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Rajit Punhani, on Monday reviewed the functioning of food testing facilities in Jammu and Kashmir and discussed measures to enhance their infrastructure, manpower and analytical capacity.
Punhani, who is also Secretary to the Government of India, visited the Food Laboratory, Kashmir, in Srinagar to assess its functioning. During the visit, he inspected various sections, including the microbiological, chemical and HEE sections, and interacted with the technical staff.
Later, Punhani chaired a meeting attended by senior officials of the J&K Food and Drugs Administration, including the 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.
Commissioner, Food & Drugs Administration, J&K, gave a detailed presentation on the laboratory’s analytical capabilities, testing performance, NABL accreditation, infrastructure and manpower position, besides outlining a 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 instruments, including GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS and ICP-MS. The laboratory currently has a NABL scope covering 354 parameters, comprising 77 quality and 277 safety parameters.
The laboratory analysed 11,479 samples in 2023-24, 9,938 in 2024-25 and 6,722 in 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 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 coverage to 5,000 parameters.
The Commissioner also highlighted key constraints affecting the laboratory, including inadequate infrastructure and shortage of technical manpower. The department sought FSSAI’s intervention for approval of proposals related to hiring technical manpower and procuring chemicals, certified reference materials and other consumables.
Financial and technical assistance was also sought for construction of new laboratory buildings in Srinagar and Jammu and for upgrading existing facilities to increase the volume and efficiency of testing.
Officials said the Food Laboratory, Kashmir is currently housed in an old, shared Drug and Food Laboratory complex, where limited space poses challenges for installing modern equipment and establishing dedicated instrument sections.
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 in government institutions, including SKUAST and IUST, with appropriate technical and manpower support.
The proposed network is aimed at increasing the overall testing capacity and facilitating timely analysis of food samples received from different parts of the Union Territory.
Punhani expressed satisfaction with the functioning of the laboratory and called upon J&K FDA officials to continue efforts towards strengthening its capabilities.
The visit is expected to give further impetus to the modernisation of food testing facilities, expansion of NABL-accredited analytical capacity and development of an integrated food laboratory network across Jammu and Kashmir.
